LONDON — The United Kingdom is to set its most ambitious level of military might since the end of the Cold War, planning to focus on building nuclear-powered submarines and modernizing its armed forces and more prominently playing a role in NATO. The wide-ranging package announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer are intended to combat new global threats — in particular against a rising Russia — while reassuring international allies such as the US under President Donald Trump.
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| GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JUNE 2: Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech during a visit to the BAE Systems'Govan facility, on June 2, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland. The Prime Minister unveils the government's defence spending plans today, saying that the UK must prepare for conflict and the threat from Russia cannot be ignored. He announced a £15 billion spend on new nuclear weapons and has commissioned up to 12 new attack submarines. (Photo by Andy Buchanan - WPA Pool/Getty Images) |
Addressing a navy shipyard in Scotland, Starmer said Britain
should be ready to fight wars in a completely different way and that “The
threat we face today is more dangerous, more immediate and unpredictable, than anything
we have seen since the end of the Cold War”.
Global Tensions Act as Catalyst for the Defense Review
It comes in the wake of a far-reaching Strategic Defense
Review, overseen by former NATO Secretary-General George Robertson, that sought
to revamp Britain’s military strategy in a world that has been turned upside
down by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a changing geopolitical order. It is
the first such review since 2021 and relations between the United States and
Russia now are fraught by mutual recriminations, global insecurity and a
possible repositioning of U.S. foreign policy under Trump.
Months before Russian tanks rolled over the border into
Ukraine in 2022, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had sought to rule out the
prospect of large-scale land warfare in Europe. But that assumption has been
short lived — and now Starmer’s leadership is promising to accept all 62
recommendations contained in the defense review.
Central Pillars: Submarines, Cybersecurity and Drones
Among the major upgrades:
Building as many as 12 nuclear-powered, conventionally armed
submarines under the AUKUS partnership with Australia and the U.S.
A £15 billion ($20.3 billion) investment to bolster
Britain’s nuclear deterrent.
Increase in stockpiles of long-range weapons, as part of six
new munitions factories and up to 7,000 British-built missiles.
Creation of advanced drones for land and air combat, as well
as a “hybrid navy” mixing crewed ships and uncrewed vessels.
Creation of a cyber command to deal with constant cyber
threats coming from sources associated with Russia.
A 1 billion pound pledge on U.K. air defense systems.
Also planned is a National Infrastructure Guard – a kind of
civilian force for guarding key facilities that is being compared with the Home
Guard of World War II.
