As Defence Secretary John Healey talks up his plans to buttress the U.K. military, doubts over funding and Britain¡¯s ability to move fast enough are unsettling the industry and armed forces.
Healey in June laid out a 130-page defense review, billing it as the first in a generation that would transform and grow the U.K. military. He set out plans to rebuild arms stockpiles, expand Britain¡¯s nuclear deterrent and submarine fleet, and invest more heavily in long-range weapons and advanced technologies such as drones and lasers.
But six months on, with little clarity beyond 2027 on where the money will come from, military chiefs are increasingly concerned the government will need to scale back its ambitions, while authors of the review have called on ministers to redirect money from welfare into defense.
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