Armed Forces
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on increasing the lethality of the UK Armed Forces since the publication of his Department’s Strategic Defence Review on 2 June 2025.
Answered by Ministry of Defence
Since the publication of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) the Government is taking a broad programme of action to improve the readiness, lethality, and survivability of the Armed Forces. Through the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), we are investing £298 billion over the next four years to rebuild warfighting readiness, deliver the SDR and develop a NATO-first Integrated Force.
The DIP is also increasing the Armed Forces’ ability to deter and, if required, fight and win. We are investing in autonomous and uncrewed systems, long-range missiles, artificial intelligence, armoured vehicles, and precision strike capabilities. Key examples include more than £5 billion for autonomous systems, £1.8 billion for the Digital Targeting Web to connect sensors, decision-makers and weapons across domains, and further investment in Project ASGARD to expand the Army’s recce-strike capability.
Taken together, these measures will make the Armed Forces more ready to deploy, more lethal in combat, and better protected against the threats they are most likely to face. They are part of a wider programme of investment across people, stockpiles, infrastructure, digital systems, munitions, and force protection.
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