UK defence spending is about to boom – can British firms step up?
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/03/uk-defence-spending-british-firms-keir-starmer-us
Posted by tree_boom
UK defence spending is about to boom – can British firms step up?
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/03/uk-defence-spending-british-firms-keir-starmer-us
Posted by tree_boom
26 Comments
Although:
> Only a few months ago rumours were swirling in Westminster that the carrier and its sister ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, could be mothballed or scrapped
This was never going to happen and:
> For now, HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth are saved, despite the enormous cost of equipping and running them. Mechanical failures, the latest of which has kept the Queen Elizabeth in dock when it was supposed to be the main strike carrier heading east, are already proving a headache.
This is largely untrue; the carriers aren’t that expensive to run now they’re built and PWLS was always due to be the flattop on CSG25.
If we’ve learnt anything from Ukraine, it’s that these £5,000,000 US military drones can’t do anything much more special than the £1,000 alternative.
This is the important point. If this increase in defence spending can be used to support UK manufacturing the true cost to the taxpayer will be much lower.
We are one of the largest exporters of arms in the world. Not to mention having world-leading cyber security capability at GCHQ.
The problem will be the scale, not the ability to do it.
Uk needs to tap in grow itself we have all the capabilities
Winding down our defence capabilities during the 30s was a big mistake – a strong defence maintained during peacetime helps prevent peacetime turning into war.
If you want Inflation to go up then yeah. They can’t get a working border force IT system or all the other failures. I guess there’s money for one not the other.
What do you think about a European procurement fund?
We (and other European economies) can’t jump to 3% spending now because we wouldn’t be able to spend the money effectively. But a centralised fund could gather funds and use it to set up local (European) capabilities like mortar production, drone production etc.
Means we avoid the tricky debate of a European army, but does enable Europe to ramp up spending and scale up our ability to fight at scale.
He’s the challenge I see for UK defense firms.
Europe has and will continue to speed up the ramp up military output.
They’re already copied the American procurement system and a European military industrial complex is in the making.
There’s nothing stopping uk playing a part in this. I’ll hope uk could coordinate this as we would have a more workable relationship with US. If we play our cards right.
What roles should UK play in an integrated European defense? Do we work with Europe supply chain? Or do we specialize?
Do we specialize in targeting, surveillance and intelligence? Or do we lean into what UK needs? Are we letting market forces direct uk arms manufacturing or do we let policies guide uk defense strategy?
Never thought I’d see the Guardian stay quiet on transfering aid spending to defence. The times we live in.
Short answer: no not really but they’ll be happy to snap up the cash
I’m less worried about the companies. They are commercial entities, they will make it work
I’m more worried about whether our society is ready for a prolonged period of heightened alert and defense. Both on a social level and an individual level.
Lmao, all the reddit armchair drone experts come out of the woodwork
Megadeth – Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good!
Almost all the announced increase is going to be consumed just fixing all the things that ahve been left to rot. Like all the accommodation for military personnel.
Do we have any names of companies we should invest in?
Our military forces cannot boom if we’re banning the use of coal as coal is fundamental to producing Steel, and steel is fundamental to modern warfare.
Switched my pension from my provider’s Ethical fund into the standard 100% shares fund in anticipation.
Those with shares in the M.I.C. will be thrilled. Meanwhile…. army recruitment center beckons. I can’t wait to see how many are up for it.
That photo is super confusing. Where did the jets come from? They can’t take off from those carriers
Increased wages for the soldiers and more recruitment?
As someone who works in this industry, I can tell you that this is happening right now and that they are fully capable of expanding very fast
No, is the answer
Worked at a big company who supplies the MoD. Have just left a tiny, “family” manufacturer who royally fucked an MoD contract for their customer who sub contracted out the work
If we want shit like the Russians then yeah, the “fuck it that’ll do” attitude will “do”
But if we actually want quality arms then we’ve got to step up
What a truly strange way of saying the military industrial complex has upped a gear. Typical Guardian shillery. Crazy how all the peace loving socialists are all cozying up to the weapons manufacturers. Fortress Europe?
I don’t care where we get weapons from as long as it’s no longer the US. Trump has proved they cannot be relied on. It would be best placed for UK firms to step up but as long as it stays in the EU I’m happy
Regulations need to loosen. Developing drones and armed payloads is *unbelievably* drowned in red tape in the UK. It’s worse than the worst kind of kafka-esque nightmare. Very few people will be willing to innovate in that environment.