British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has finally presented his government's long-awaited Defence Investment Plan, a spending programme designed to modernise the UK's military and address years of underfunding. The plan commits to raising defence investments to £80 billion (€92.8 billion) per year by 2029, with a significant focus on unmanned systems and artificial intelligence.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Starmer outlined a vision for a more lethal and technologically advanced armed forces. “We will build an army that is ten times more lethal, with attack drones flying alongside our Apache helicopters, a new fleet of surveillance drones collecting intelligence and finding targets and a surge in low-cost one-way attack drones which have proved so effective in Ukraine,” he said. The plan allocates £5 billion (€5.8 billion) specifically for drone development, which Starmer hailed as “the largest ever UK investment in this technology.”
Emphasis on Autonomous Systems
The new spending will prioritise autonomous vehicles, including a “hybrid” Royal Navy vessel that leverages artificial intelligence, and smaller autonomous aircraft capable of flying alongside RAF Typhoon combat planes that are “invisible” to radar systems. A Portuguese graphene coating technology, which could make drones and jets invisible to radar, is among the innovations being explored. The UK will also establish the “Uncrewed Systems Centre,” a 50,632 square metre facility touted as Europe’s largest drone testing centre.
The plan comes amid growing concerns about Russian aggression. Starmer directly pointed to Moscow, noting that intelligence services have warned of a potential attack on a NATO ally by 2030. “If Russia were to win in Ukraine, Putin would not stop there but turn his gaze to other allies, bringing even greater instability to our continent, even greater impacts on our security and the cost of living and an even greater need to mobilise yet more resources for our defence,” he said.
In April, former UK Defence Secretary John Healey had warned that three Russian submarines conducted a clandestine operation near pipelines and cables in waters north of the UK, mirroring similar incidents in the Baltic Sea. Britain and Norway are already developing frigates to hunt Russian submarines in European waters.
Political Fallout and European Dimension
In a surprising development, Healey resigned two weeks before the plan was announced, citing concerns that the allocated funds were insufficient to meet the new NATO commitment of 3.5 percent of GDP on defence by 2035. In his resignation letter, Healey wrote that the original defence sum fell “well short” of what is required “at this dangerous time.” Speaking in Parliament after the plan was unveiled, he repeated that the UK needs “to develop a clear, credible funding plan” before facing a Russian attack.
Starmer, however, defended the investment as adequate for both British and European security. “(We are) maintaining our role in guaranteeing British and European security and leaving our country in a much better and much stronger state than we found it,” he said. The plan includes collaboration with European partners, such as the development of “deep precision strike weapons” with Germany. It also comes as the US signals a review of its defence posture in Europe, prompting allies to step up.
The UK's plan is being made public just before the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara on 7-8 July. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the first day of the summit will be an opportunity for the alliance’s 32 members to sign “massive amounts of new contracts, MOUs (and) letters of intent” to meet defence spending goals. The EU's diplomatic service has also named new leadership with a defence focus, underscoring the bloc's growing attention to security matters.
When asked by Euronews whether the EU will have any involvement through development or testing, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson pointed to Starmer's earlier comments without providing specifics. The plan underscores the UK's intent to remain a key player in European defence, even as it navigates its post-Brexit relationship with the continent.
