The Government is committed to the implementation of the Defence Investmeny Plan (DIP).

The DIP implements our ‘NATO First’ approach, placing NATO requirements and interoperability at the heart of UK capability planning. The decisions we have taken will increase the UK’s readiness for the future fight, whilst sustaining our contribution to NATO operations and deterrence activity.

This Government has ended the underfunding and hollowing out of our Armed Forces that we inherited from the last administration.

Backed by £298 billion of investment over the next four years, the Defence Investment Plan will deliver a step change in capability, transforming our Armed Forces and realising the vision set out in the 2025 Strategic Defence Review.

We have not waited for the publication of the Defence Investment Plan to take action. Since July 2024, we have awarded more than 1,400 defence contracts, with 94% of their total value going to UK-based businesses, strengthening our defence industrial base and supporting jobs and growth across the country. Last year alone, we spent more than £31 billion with UK industry – an above inflation increase in spending.

The Defence Investment Plan provides full funding for the recommendations set out in the Strategic Defence Review. The Government accepted all of the Review’s recommendations, and significant progress has already been made in delivering them, including the establishment of the Military Intelligence Service and the publication of the Defence Diplomacy Strategy.

For reasons of operational security, we do not comment on specific threat assessments relating to Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia or on the security measures in place there.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided to Question 122757 on 30 April 2026 which sets out the Government's position on this matter. As referred to in Question 122757 the Defence Investment Plan is both a government document and plan.

Through NATO defence industrial and armaments forums, and bilateral meetings, the United Kingdom regularly engages with Allies on reducing unnecessary barriers to defence trade and industrial cooperation, including export control processes, technology transfer arrangements, standardisation, and interoperability requirements. In the Ankara Summit Declaration Allies reaffirmed their commitment to continue work to eliminate defence trade barriers and strengthen defence industrial cooperation.

The commitments announced at the NATO meeting in Ankara are reflected the Defence Investment Plan and are already part of the UK's future defence spending plans.

The Defence Investment Plan sets out Defence’s planned investment in the capabilities, infrastructure and industrial capacity required to deliver the outcomes of the Strategic Defence Review. The Plan focuses on Defence expenditure.

Defence works closely with other government departments to support wider national security objectives. Normal government fiscal and departmental processes reflect cross-government spending arrangements.

The Government is confident that the Defence Investment Plan provides the resources needed to deliver the capability priorities set out in the Strategic Defence Review. The plan places Defence on a stronger and more sustainable footing, backed by £298 billion of investment over the next four years, including an additional £15 billion above previous plans.

The plan invests in the capabilities required to meet current and future threats. This includes over £20 billion to increase the Army's lethality, over £11 billion for munitions stockpiles and production, over £5 billion in drones, over £2.5 billion for cyber capabilities, £790 million for homeland air and missile defence, and nearly £64 billion for the UK's nuclear enterprise and deterrent.

These investments ensure that Defence is better equipped to deliver the Strategic Defence Review's vision of enhanced warfighting readiness, deterrence and national resilience.

The Defence Investment Plan sets out how we will deliver and fund the Strategic Defence Review's recommendations between this year and financial year 2029-30.

Further decisions on the level of future increases in defence spending will be set out in the 2027 Spending Review as stated in the Defence Investment Plan.

The timing of the publication of the Defence Investment Plan has not adversely affected the United Kingdom's ability to defend itself. The Defence Investment Plan builds on investment already made in Defence and provides a funded framework to deliver the Strategic Defence Review, placing Defence on a stronger and more sustainable footing. It is backed by £298 billion over the next four years, including an additional £15 billion of spending power, and focuses on equipping our Armed Forces with the capabilities needed to deter and respond to current and future threats.

The Government remains committed to ensuring that Defence is adequately resourced to meet the challenges ahead.

The Defence Investment Plan demonstrates the commitment of this Government to meet and respond to the rising threats and demands on Defence. The £74 billion allocated to the Ministry of Defence forfinancial year 2027-28 is £20 billion more for our Armed Forces than the last year of the previous Government and the budget will continue to grow in real terms for the rest of this Parliament.

As set out in last year's Defence Industrial Strategy, we are revamping our procurement framework, delivering a comprehensive review of defence contracting to incentivise productivity and improve delivery. This includes our new approach to segmented procurement as well as shifting our approach away from setting detailed plans for overspecified, overly long programmes in favour of rapid procurement of new capabilities, based on portfolios and thematic pipelines of spend.

Through the Defence Investment Plan, the UK will strengthen its global leadership, and we will work with our allies and partners to deliver our commitments. The plan confirms existing industrial partnerships and provides new opportunities to collaboratively develop the next generation of capabilities.

The Defence Investment Plan (DIP) is backed by £298 billion of investment over the next four years. The Plan will transform our Armed Forces, delivering on the vision of the 2025 Strategic Defence Review. There was no impact on the DIP from the timing of the appointment of the National Armament Director (NAD); both Rupert Pearce and the former Acting NAD, Andy Start, were involved in the development of the DIP and there was no gap between their tenures.

There will be an annual update to Parliament before summer recess each year on progress against the Defence Investment Plan and any changes in financial investments, with the aim to publish the first report by July 2027.

The publication of the Defence Investment Plan on 30 June this year means that the UK will be equipped with the resources to effectively support and retain critical, transformative technologies that underpin our security and prosperity.

To see any UK company enter administration is deeply disappointing and understandably impacts on its staff. Several technologies have the potential to be exploited to develop hypersonic propulsion systems, not all of them will be chosen to be taken forward.

The Government is strengthening the resilience of the UK defence industrial base through the Strategic Defence Review's NATO First commitment, supported by plans to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP in the next Parliament and support NATO's ambition of 3.5% by 2035. Through the Defence Industrial Strategy and Defence Investment Plan, Defence will invest £298 billion over four years to improve industrial readiness, strengthen supply chains and increase industry's ability to scale production in response to emerging threats.

The Defence Supply Chain Capability Programme and Industrial Resilience Programme are further enhancing supply chain visibility, identifying vulnerabilities and strengthening collaboration with industry and Allies to ensure Defence can mobilise and sustain capability during times of crisis, supporting NATO's collective deterrence and defence.

The Ministry of Defence routinely assesses the resilience of defence supply chains as a core component of operational preparedness and national security. Through risk assessments, supply chain mapping, horizon scanning, industry-informed war games, resilience exercises e and scenario-based testing, Defence identifies key vulnerabilities and develops robust mitigations to strengthen the resilience of critical supply chains. In addition, through the Defence Supply Chain Capability Programme and the Industrial Resilience Programme, Defence is working with industry to identify and mitigate supply chain risks, improve readiness and ensure the availability of priority materiel in the event of crisis or conflict.

The Department keeps workforce requirements under continuous review. The Defence Investment Plan (DIP) includes investment in specialist engineering, cyber, digital and data skills, alongside initiatives to improve recruitment, retention and workforce development, including cyber training, digital skills programmes, apprenticeships, bursaries and sponsored education schemes.

The DIP also supports the Government's broader commitment that one in ten civil servants will work in digital roles by 2030, helping to build the cyber, digital and engineering workforce needed to deliver future capability.

These measures are intended to ensure Defence has access to the specialist skills required to deliver the capabilities set out in the DIP.

The UK’s committed support to Ukraine for 2026 includes our annual £3 billion of military support and the third and final instalment of the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Loan, which means the UK will spend a total of £3.75 billion on military support for Ukraine in 2026. This makes up the UK’s contribution to the €70 billion in support announced at the NATO Ankara Summit.

As the Defence Secretary told the House on 13 July, the UK has also announced a deal for it to access the EU’s £78 billion (€90 billion) Ukraine Support Loan, which also forms part of the €70 billion commitment to Ukraine, and which will boost Ukraine’s defence and create future opportunities for UK defence companies.