Refreshed Defence Command Paper sets out British Armed Forces' future
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The Defence Command Paper Refresh (DCP23) , which will be published today, takes learnings from the war in Ukraine – and wider threats to UK security – and sets out a plan to deliver a credible warfighting force that will keep the country on track to act as a global heavyweight both now and in the future.
It follows the publication of the Integrated Review Refresh earlier this year, which identified Russia as the most acute threat to our security, recognised China as a long-term systemic challenge, and predicted a more adversarial international system.
The DCP23 outlines how the British Armed Forces will modernise and adapt to the changing global picture and, in particular, and how the UK will prioritise investment in science and technology to ensure the country has a force greater than the sum of its parts.
It sets out:
- An additional £2.5 billion investment into our stockpiles and munitions, on top of the increased investment committed at the Autumn Statement
- A Global Response Force that enables the UK to ‘get there first’, bringing together our deployed and high-readiness forces, and drawing on capabilities from all domains
- How Defence will become a science and technology superpower, enhancing our capabilities in fields such as robotics, human augmentation, directed energy weapons and advanced materials, to gain the edge on the battlefield
- An improved surge capacity through our Strategic Reserve, built around the ex-regular reserve forces to add further depth and expertise in time of crisis
- A new alliance with industry, engaging much earlier in strategic conversations and building in greater financial headroom to respond to changing needs
- A new employment model and skills framework, increasing fluidity between the military, the Civil Service and industry, while offering a more compelling and competitive incentivisation package
- A further £400 million to modernise accommodation that our service families deserve, which is essential for the operational effectiveness of our personnel
Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace said: "We must adapt and modernise to meet the threats we face, taking in the lessons from President Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
"This Defence Command Paper will sharpen our strategic approach – ensuring the UK remains at the forefront of military capability and a leading power in NATO."
Since the Defence Command Paper 2021 was published, the UK has led the way in Europe on support for Ukraine’s defence and remained a leading contributor to NATO, consistently meeting the commitment to spend at least 2% of GDP on Defence and moving towards 2.5%.
In the last two years, the world has changed and the threats and challenges we face have evolved, including Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
British Armed Forces are central to protecting the UK around the clock and when global security is challenged, we have seen the effect it can have on our economic security. With a more campaigning approach to global competition, the DCP23 will support the Prime Minister’s priorities of growing the economy and reducing inflation.
The recent increased investment of £5 billion at the Spring Budget allows the Ministry of Defence to plan ahead, with the Defence budget – for the first time – over £50 billion a year. The certainty over an increased budget will support greater integration between government and UK industry, which is fundamental to sustaining the fighting force, developing and exploiting new technologies, and producing the equipment we need to sustain the fight.
Minister for the Armed Forces, James Heappey said: "Our people and their expertise are at the heart of what we do, underpinning our strategic advantage across all domains and delivering a force that deters against threats and defends our homeland and those of our Allies.
"We also recognise that to maintain advantage over adversaries we have to do things differently, responding to rapidly evolving geopolitical, technological and economic threats, learning lessons from Ukraine and championing closer integration with our Allies and partners.
"This Defence Command Paper sets out how we’ll do this – prioritising investment in replenishment, modernising our forces and embodying a fully integrated approach to deterrence and defence."
A submission by trade body ADS to the Secretary of State’s Office of Net Assessment and Challenge consultation has helped to shape the paper’s thinking, particularly on the importance of providing industry with long-term certainty, the value of iterative development, and the need for early engagement on strategic requirements.
As with IRR23, the paper mentions the ambition to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP when economic and fiscal circumstance allow but does not provide further clarity on when this will be. Additionally, we would welcome clarification if the additional £2.5 billion in munitions comes from existing MoD budgets or from new funding.
ADS looks forward to working with MoD to deliver upon the DCP’s ambitions, although further details on timelines for implementing these stated ambitions and how progress will be measured would be welcome, including in the Army’s future soldier next steps paper. Kevin Craven, Chief Executive, ADS said: "The refreshed Defence Command Paper is a much-needed publication that demonstrates how the UK is learning lessons from the war in Ukraine.
"While the strategy differs from previous versions in deferring on fresh platform decisions for now, the news on increased funding for restocking munitions is very welcome. We also welcome the Government’s recognition of the challenges facing defence companies, large and small, arising from the ESG investment agenda.
"The paper is crucially focused on increased and early engagement with industry with a view to realising the vision of a true Defence Enterprise. With this in mind, the move towards a new form of acquisition that allows for iterative capability development is both timely and necessary.
"We look forward to continued partnership with the Ministry of Defence to deliver upon the ambition set out in the DCP to secure the UK’s advantage."
Shonnel Malani, Managing Partner, Advent International and Chair of the Board at Cobham, said: “The Defence Command Paper outlines the Government’s renewed commitment to building closer partnerships with industry and engaging earlier in strategic conversations. The £2.5 billion of extra funding and recognition of the vital role that science and technology will continue to play at a time of heightened global threats, is particularly welcome. We’re committed to using our expertise and investment in R&D to support the UK in achieving the wide-ranging goals outlined in the Paper.”
DCP23 is broken down into a number of chapters based on priorities, including, People; Science, Innovation and Technology; Industry; Productivity; Deterrence and Defence; Campaigning and Global Competition; Strength through our Partnerships; Strategic Resilience.
