The UK Defence Secretary is set to unveil plans to buy 7,000 long-range weapons and ramp up production of artillery shells and explosives. Photo / Getty Images
The UK Defence Secretary is set to unveil plans to buy 7,000 long-range weapons and ramp up production of artillery shells and explosives. Photo / Getty Images
Britain will move to a constant state of readiness for war by building six new bomb factories, the Defence Secretary will announce this week.
John Healey will on Monday unveil plans to spend £1.5 billion ($3.4b) on massively ramping up Britain’s production of artillery shells and explosives.
He will alsocommit to buying 7000 long-range weapons after military bosses warned that the UK no longer has an effective fighting force.
The announcement will be made as ministers publish a Strategic Defence Review which will set out the future of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
One of the key measures being taken will be the switch to an “always-on” approach to munitions supply so Britain is constantly ready for war.
At least six weapons factories will be built across the country with the capacity to massively ramp up production, should a conflict break out.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey being shown a storm shadow missile on an assembly line at the European weapons manufacturer MDBA. Photo / Getty Images
Ministers have drawn lessons from the war in Ukraine, which has seen both sides expend huge numbers of artillery shells, rockets and drones.
Britain has significantly depleted its own stockpile of weapons by donating missiles, air defence systems, artillery shells and tanks to Kyiv.
Last year, ministers warned that the regular Army could be wiped out in as little as six months should the UK be dragged into a major conflict.
Healey said: “The hard-fought lessons from Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine show a military is only as strong as the industry that stands behind them.
“We are strengthening the UK’s industrial base to better deter our adversaries and make the UK secure at home and strong abroad.
“We will embrace the Strategic Defence Review; making defence an engine for economic growth and boosting skilled jobs in every nation and region as part of our Government’s Plan for Change.”
The £1.5b for new munitions factories will come from a significant uplift in defence spending announced by the Government.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced in February that funding for the military will be increased to 2.5% of national wealth from April 2027.
Healey went further last week by confirming that should Labour win the next election, it will jump further, to 3% of GDP, by 2034.
Rachel Reeves, the UK Chancellor, has signed off on the surge in spending and said it would boost the economy by creating skilled jobs.
“A strong economy needs a strong national defence and investing in weaponry and munitions, and backing nearly 2000 jobs across Britain in doing so, is proof the two go hand-in-hand,” Reeves said.
“We are delivering both security for working people in an uncertain world and good jobs, putting more money in people’s pockets as part of our Plan for Change.”
Ministers have said they will spend an extra £6.4b a year on the defence budget to achieve the 2.5% target in 2027.
Meanwhile, the Office for Budget Responsibility has calculated that hitting 3% next decade would cost an additional £17.3b.
The defence review, written by former military chiefs, is also expected to warn that drones and artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the nature of warfare.
It will say that Britain is facing “a new era of threat” and question the size of the Army, which is now at its smallest since the Napoleonic era.
The review will recommend that children are taught the values of the British military in school to help boost recruitment into the Armed Forces.
It will also propose the creation of a new World War II-style “Home Guard” to protect key infrastructure such as power plants and airports from attack.
