Key points of the Strategic Defence Review

Sir Keir Starmer and John Healey have announced the Government’s response to the Strategic Defence Review.

Here are some of the key points from the review:

– Defence Secretary Mr Healey has pledged to “create a British Army which is 10x more lethal”, by combining capabilities with air-defence, long-range weapons and other technologies.

– The review has been drawn up with the Government’s commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 in mind, and the authors say they are “confident” that it is “affordable over ten years”.  However they say that given the “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”.

– Russia has been described as “an immediate and pressing threat”, as the invasion of Ukraine “makes unequivocally clear its willingness to use force to achieve its goals”. The report also states that Moscow’s “war economy, if sustained, will enable it to rebuild its land capabilities more quickly” in the event of a ceasefire.

– China is labelled a “sophisticated and persistent challenge”. The review warns that Beijing is “likely to continue seeking advantage through espionage and cyber attacks” and is expected to have 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030.

– The UK is already experiencing attacks targeting critical national infrastructure, and a war could see attempts to disrupt the economy as well as efforts to manipulate information and undermine community cohesion.

– As well as looking to prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems, the MoD should invest in the UK’s resilience of military space systems.

– A “small uplift” in the number of Army regulars should be prioritised when the funding allows, and the number of active reserves should be increased by 20% when there is the money, which is likely to be in the 2030s.

– Personnel in back-office roles should also be moved into front-line roles with automation taking over a portion of jobs such as HR and finance.

– When it comes to Army recruitment there should be a focus on speed,  helping potential recruits get from the point of expressing an interest to beginning work more quickly. Officials should also look to the “gap year” model used in Australia, the report suggests.

– The review promotes an Integrated Force Model, looking to breakdown distinctions between the Army, Navy and RAF to get them to a position where they are working as a combined operation. That comes after a change in April, which saw the Chief of Defence Staff become the commanding officer of all of the service chiefs.

– More F-35 fighter jets will be required in the next decade, ministers have been told, and could mean a mix of those which are able to operate from an aircraft carrier and those which are not.

– Ministers have been told they should do more to ensure that the permanent joint headquarters at Northwood is resilient to both physical and cyber attacks given its importance.

– The National Security Council of ministers should review progress on the UK’s nuclear deterrent at least twice a year, the reviewers say.

– John Healey has pledged to create a new “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels that can patrol the North Atlantic.

– He has also promised a “next-generation RAF” with “F-35s, upgraded Typhoons next-generation fast jets”.

– As part of plans to increase innovation, defence experts should have faculty positions in partner universities from the 2026/27 academic year.