The long-awaited defence investment plan (Dip) to be published on Tuesday will not be sufficient to prepare the United Kingdom for war, according to a military expert who helped draft the government's defence review.
General Sir Richard Barrons, co-author of the 2025 Strategic Defence Review, stated that the plan is “not going to crack the issue” of properly funding the nation's armed forces. The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has described the Dip as bringing “game-changing investment” in drones and other modern equipment.
Delays and resignations over funding disputes
The Dip was originally scheduled for release last year but was postponed due to disagreements within Whitehall over funding. The delays ultimately led to the resignation of former defence secretary John Healey, who warned that the plan would likely fall short of meeting Britain's commitments to the Nato alliance. Nato has tasked all member states with increasing core defence spending to 3.5% of national economic output by 2035.
Sir Richard acknowledged that the publication of the Dip represents progress and that it will contain a “decent transformative element.” However, he emphasised that it still fails to address the core issue: “in order to defend the UK sufficiently well, sufficiently quickly, more has to be done sooner, and that requires more money than is currently on the table.”
Expert warns of lagging behind allies and enemies
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Sir Richard warned: “We’re not keeping up with our allies, we’re certainly not keeping up with our enemies, and we know that the US is no longer going to come and save European security in the face of a Russian threat.” He stressed that until the government accepts the need to allocate more funds to defence sooner, even at the expense of other priorities, the country will not be properly defended.
Under the new Defence Secretary, Dan Jarvis, the Dip will focus on enhancing the UK's use of drones and autonomous weapons. The Ministry of Defence has announced a £5 billion investment in these areas. Jarvis is understood to have secured additional funding, bringing the total settlement to £14.5 billion—up from the £13.5 billion offered to Healey, but still far short of the £28 billion that defence officials previously indicated was necessary.
Prime Minister to outline drone capabilities boost
In a major speech at a defence firm on Tuesday, Sir Keir will detail how the Dip will accelerate Britain's drone capabilities, drawing lessons from the widespread use of such warfighting robots in conflicts in Ukraine and Iran. Speaking ahead of the launch, the Prime Minister said: “This game-changing investment will strengthen our armed forces on land, at sea and in the air, ensuring our servicemen and women have the cutting-edge capabilities they need to deter evolving threats and keep the British people safe.”
He added: “At the same time, we are backing British innovation, British industry and British jobs and delivering opportunity to every corner of the country. Today’s defence investment plan will help drive growth across the UK, giving our industrial base the confidence, certainty and support it needs to develop and scale the technologies that will keep our country safe and secure long into the future.”
The plan is expected to outline investments in autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, and cyber capabilities, aiming to modernise the armed forces amid growing global threats.
