Two hundred years ago, the Industrial Revolution made Britain the workshop of the world – bringing strength and prosperity to our country.
Today, we’re doing it again.
Backed by our historic increase in defence spending, the Government’s new Defence Industrial Strategy will place the UK at the leading edge of innovation and ensure the ‘defence dividend is felt in every region and nation.
Our plan will support British firms, British workers and our extraordinary Armed Forces – creating jobs, driving economic growth, and strengthening national security.
I believe our service men and women are the best in the world.
I also know, having visited Kyiv this week and seen first-hand the horror of Putin‘s recent strikes, that when a country is under threat or forced to fight, its Armed Forces are only as strong as the industry which stands behind them.
Earlier this year, our Strategic Defence Review set out a landmark shift for UK defence – moving to warfighting readiness to deter threats.
The world is more dangerous and less predictable than ever, and rapid technological evolution is transforming warfare.
As a result, we need a strong, British defence industry, capable of innovating ahead of adversaries.
UK Defence Secretary, John Healey speaks with Ukrainian journalists during his visit to Kyiv on September 3, 2025 in Kyiv, Ukraine
UK Defence Secretary, John Healey speaks with Ukrainian journalists during his visit to Kyiv on September 3, 2025 in Kyiv, Ukraine
Defence Secretary John Healey (2R) hears a briefing on the use of drone technology as he visits Warminster Garrison on June 3, 2025 in Warminster, United Kingdom
Our defence industrial plan will meet this challenge.
It backs British businesses, investors, scientists, and workers, creating British jobs and growth.
We will grow our industrial base and strengthen homegrown production so we are not as dependent on others for the kit our Armed Forces need.
And we will accelerate the development of military technology, because in modern warfare, whoever innovates fastest holds the upper hand to deter adversaries.
This is what the public expect and simply what our service men and women deserve – world-class kit made by world-class British workers and business.
Thankfully, we are building on the base of a great defence industry in the UK, from start-ups in market towns to major manufacturers in our industrial heartlands.
And a defence workforce force full of skill, ingenuity, and graft, from apprentices in the shipyards of Govan to software engineers in the space labs in Harwell.
Just last week, Norway selected British-made warships for its navy over those produced by other nations – the biggest British warship deal ever won – pumping £10 billion into our economy and supporting 4,000 UK jobs.
The world is more dangerous and less predictable than ever, and rapid technological evolution is transforming warfare, writes John Healey. Pictured: Firefighters work at the site of car garages hit by a Russian drone strike
Defence Secretary John Healey speaks with flight crew as he visits RAF Waddington on June 3, 2025 in Northolt, United Kingdom
This is matched by growing investor confidence in the UK.
Since the General Election last year, we attracted £1.4 billion in foreign direct investment into UK defence. But we can’t stand still.
Our plan for industry is supported by the biggest increase in defence spending since the end of the cold war, switching money directly out of overseas aid to raise defence spending to 2.6 per cent of GDP by 2027, with an ambition to reach three per cent in the next Parliament and a total of five per cent on national security by 2035 alongside NATO allies.
Under this Government, we will make sure that every pound spent on defence will make our Armed Forces stronger and the British public better off.
We are tearing up the old rulebook, slashing red tape, unlocking delays and cutting waste in Whitehall that for too long has stifled progress.
Because with a promise to invest more, comes a duty to invest better.
We will invest heavily in skills to ensure we have a workforce fit for the future.
This includes new defence-focused technical colleges and greater support for graduates and apprentices to secure good quality, well-paid industry jobs.
The workshop of the world is opening again.
Our Defence Industrial Strategy sets out how we will reform procurement, innovate at wartime pace, and grow our industrial base. It is a blueprint for British workers, British businesses, and British brilliance.
It will make defence an engine for growth in every region and nation of the UK. And it will make our great country secure and home and strong abroad.
