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Friday, 12 June 2026

The UK Defense Secretary resigned yesterday - 3 key questions that need urgent answers - plus a summary of the Strategic Defense Review and its 44 timescaled actions

In John Healey's resignation letter, (he was the UK Defense Secretary), to the UK Prime Minister yesterday, the key paragraph is

"Your DIP financial statement - which I was first given in full on Monday afternoon this week - falls well short of what is required for defence and the country at this difficult time".  

A link to John Healey's X post with his letter is below.  Below that is a summary of what the Strategic Defense Review (SDR) suggested needed to be delivered  in a DIP (Defense Investment Programme).  

My analysis suggests the SDR had some 44 actions with stated timescales, of which at least 24 should have already been achieved. (A table with my analysis of the 47 milestoned action is at the foot of this post.)

 

The obvious three immediate questions which need answers are:

1) Of the 24 SDR deliverables with milestones which should have already been delivered, (before May 2026), how many have actually been fully delivered?

2) Given the DIP fianncial statement delivered to John Healy this past Monday, which of the SDRs suggested 44 deliverables with milestones are now delayed, descoped or deleted?

3) How many people saw the full DIP financial statement before the Defense Secretary saw it this Monday?


 

The Strategic Defence Review – Making Britain safer: secure at home, strong abroad was published in June 2025 with its 62 recommendations covering a vision for UK defence over the next 10 years.  The recommendations are premised on government’s commitment to reach 3% of GDP on defence spending in the next Parliament, when fiscal and economic conditions allow.  Obviously if more £ is available or defence capabilities can be delivered more efficiently the vision could be achieved faster than the ten-year timescale currently envisaged.

Phrases from the review that give you a summary of what it is about include:

The Review and it's context - a “root and branch review of defence” in a world “more serious and less predictable than at any time since the end of the Cold War” and where “technology is changing how war is fought”

The Vision and transformation - a “landmark shift” towards “warfighting readiness” with a “a model of constant innovation of the Integrated Force at wartime pace, delivered through a new partnership with industry” requiring technological innovation to create a new “hybrid navy” with aircraft carriers becoming the “first European hybrid air wing” (combining fast jets, long-range weapons and drones), a “British Army that is 10X more lethal” and a “next-generation RAF…to defend Britain’s skies and strike anywhere in the world”.  A “NATO first” approach with no fixed ’end state’ for an integrated force which will “evolve as threats and technologies do”. A “whole of society approach” to implementation.

Immediate actions 

- £15 billion investent to 2029 on the sovereign warhead UK nuclear deterrent programme, 

- up to £1 billion in new funding for homeland air and missile defence including a new Cyber and Electromagnetic (CyberEM) Command to defend the UK.

- £6 billion investment to 2029 including £1.5 billion in an ‘always on’ pipeline for munitions and at least six new energetics and munitions factories in the UK.

- production of a submarine every 18 months ao the AUKUS SSN programme delivers a fleet of up to 12 nuclear-powered attack submarines

- building up to 7,000 new long-range weapons in the UK.

- more than £1 billion investment billion to integrate forces through a new Digital Targeting Web delivered in 2027. 

- £400 million fund to grow and support UK-based companies UK Defence Innovation

- establishment of a new Defence Exports Office.

- at least £7 billion of funding to 2029 to deliver “a generational renewal of military accommodation”, including over £1.5 billion in new investment for rapid work to improve service family accommodation.

The government also outlined its intention to combine AI and autonomy with conventional warfighting capabilities, to create a new “hybrid navy”, including transforming the UK’s aircraft carriers to become the “first European hybrid air wing” combining fast jets, long-range weapons and drones; a “British Army that is 10X more lethal”; and a “next-generation RAF…to defend Britain’s skies and strike anywhere in the world”.

Commons Library briefing papers

The Commons Library has published a series of briefing papers which examine individual aspects of UK defence and the outcomes of the Strategic Defence Review, and which lay the groundwork for scrutinising decisions that may come out of the MOD’s Defence Investment Plan.

A Commons Library timeline of the strategies and consultations that the SDR promised will be published shortly.   


Analysis of SDR stated milestoned actions - some 47 actions
 

By When

Recommendation No. (Actual SDR text is in “ “ marks and italic font)

This table action no.

2025

19 Re training and education “A review of current standards, qualifications, and in-house training should be completed by the end of 2025”

51 By the end of 2025, the MOD should establish an initial operating capability for a new CyberEM Command within Strategic Command. “

1

 

 

2

October

15 As concerns “plan to prioritise and address the structural, behavioural, and leadership barriers” – “Recommendations for independent oversight of implementation should be made by October 2025.”

 

3

November

16 “Defence must offer novel ways of entry into the Armed Forces that attract more people from a wider range of backgrounds, submitting a plan with timelines for delivery to the Secretary of State by November 2025”

54 “Defence should cohere and maximise its expert intelligence capabilities under a single enterprise, ‘Military Intelligence Services’ (MIS), by November 2025”

56 “By November 2025, the MOD must establish a single Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit within DI with a mandate to protect Defence from hostile intelligence services, working closely with UKIC.”

4

 

 

 5

 

 

6

December

7 “MOD should establish a revitalised system for science and technology and innovation that more directly responds to the annual problem set provided by the MSHQ to the National Armaments Director (NAD).”

21 “The MOD should co-ordinate with other Government departments and agencies to prioritise the use of the defence instrument in support of UK defence and wider foreign policy. It should do so based on a new Defence Diplomacy Strategy, to be completed by December 2025”

7

 

 

  

8

 

2026

5 “deliver a digital targeting web …. requiring access, in whole or in part, to a Defence-wide Secret Cloud, with a minimum viable product available in 2026.”

18 “By the end of 2026, Defence must establish a career education pathway for the whole force—Regulars, Reserves, and Civil Service—designed to respond to the changing ways of warfare over time, and with NATO at its heart.”

9

 

 

10

January

2 “Defence must establish a roadmap for delivering this deeper interoperability with NATO Allies and for leading the way on shared approaches and standards by January 2026”

19 “Training and education must be adaptive to operational lessons, innovation, and research. The MOD must rewrite the relevant policy by January 2026, empowering those who deliver training to revise courses at speed and consulting them in the policy’s design.”

11

 

 

 

12

 

February

26 “By February 2026, the Defence Academy should establish a plan for inviting company leaders, from FTSE100 companies and wider, onto Defence courses as appropriate”

29 “Defence should establish an initial operating capability for a new Defence Uncrewed Systems Centre by February 2026”

58 “Establish a ten-year physical infrastructure plan for Defence medical by February 2026”

59 “The MOD must deliver an overarching infrastructure Recapitalisation Plan to the Secretary of State by February 2026”

13

 

 

14

 

15

 

16

March

6 “To boost private investment in the defence and dual-use technology sectors, and to support new entrants and innovation, the MOD should develop a dedicated strategy for the financial services sector by March 2026”

8 “This new approach to market segmentation and capability portfolios should be established by March 2026” so “On new partnership with industry “Greater agility and productivity should be delivered through service-agnostic capability portfolios and a segmented approach to procurement:

·         Major modular platforms (contracting within two years).

·         Pace-setting spiral and modular upgrades (contracting within a year).

·         Rapid commercial exploitation (contracting within three months). This segment should benefit from protected funding, with at least 10% of the MOD’s equipment procurement budget spent on novel technologies each year.[footnote 58] ”

20 “Defence must invest in foundational leadership, financial, commercial, and technology skills across the civilian and military workforce. This should include: the flexibility to reward the development of expertise in specialist areas, including through pay and promotion freedoms; and developing a two-way secondment programme with a focus on short-term, informal schemes that are effective and can be delivered quickly. A plan for delivery should be developed by March 2026.”

58 “Create a ‘whole force’ plan that identifies workforce requirements, incentivisation, and measures to return non-deployable personnel to fighting fitness as quickly as possible as part of an enduring approach agreed with the NHS. Strategic Command should develop this plan by March 2026”.

17

 

 

 

18

 

 19

20

 

21

 

 

  

22

 

 

  

23

Quarterly

4 “Progress in establishing the fundamental capabilities of a core common platform …. reported to the Secretary of State on a quarterly basis.”

7 Defence Research and Evaluation organisation and UK Defence Innovation organisation “NAD should set ambitious targets for pull through and scaling, reporting quarterly to the Secretary of State on these efforts.”

24

 

 

25

April

10 “By April 2026, the MOD should develop a package of support for its industrial partners that removes barriers to collaboration and drives better, more cost-effective results: reducing by at least 50% the burden of Defence Standards and Conditions; working across Government to amend the Single Source Contract Regulations; reforming regulations, Intellectual Property handling, and security clearance requirements; and providing access to intelligence, data, and test and evaluation sites.”

25 “To support the development of the Integrated Global Defence Network, the MOD should: Complete a review of its principal elements by April 2026, optimising Defence’s overseas footprint for delivering its core roles (Chapter 3)”

39 “More flexible regulation is needed to enable experimentation in areas such as autonomy. By April 2026, Defence should establish options to enhance the mandate of the Defence Maritime Regulator to allow the Royal Navy and industry to use a dedicated regulatory ‘sandbox’ to test and deploy new technologies”

26

 

 

 

 

 

 27

 

 

 28

May

15 MOD “should rewrite its ‘people’ policies in accordance with the principle of trust, starting with the top ten by May 2026.”

29

June

16 “Develop a plan to prioritise and address the structural, behavioural, and leadership barriers to the creation of a more representative and meritocratic workforce that resolutely delivers a more capable warfighting and deterrent force. This plan should be established by June 2026” Also see October 2025 on same recommendation

48 “A review of storage and other standards is required to remove regulations that place unnecessary constraints on training and impose significant unnecessary cost in the lifecycle of highly expensive weapons. This review should be completed by June 2026”

 

 

 30

 

 

  

31

July

2 “Implementation should commence no later than July 2026.” Also see Recommendation 2 above against Jan 2026

32

July

5 “MOD should report to the Secretary of State by July 2026 on assurance of critical data flows, with a plan for scaling up dissemination and exploitation of data in warfare and across Defence” and

“A new Digital Warfighter group should be established, with appropriate recruitment and pay freedoms, by July 2026. This new group should allow Defence to deploy digital and conventional warfighters on operations side-by-side.”

33

 

 

 

34

September

7 “Highly expert Defence researchers should serve as affiliated faculty to partner universities, starting in the 2026–27 academic year.”

35

December

27 “the MOD should develop options for the protection of CNI in the event of crisis or conflict, including a new Reserve Force, with plans presented to the Secretary of State by December 2026”.

36

Annually

4 “statement to the Secretary of State on force design that identifies what has changed” and “evaluation of the effectiveness of the Integrated Force model”

37

Annually

5 “minimum annual shift of 10% expenditure from current to next-generation capabilities on its enterprise digital platforms and services”

38

Periodically

57 “An independent review board, akin to the US Defense Health Board, should assure ecosystem readiness, reporting periodically to Ministers, the Defence Board, and Parliament”

39

2027

5 “deliver a digital targeting web in 2027, requiring access, in whole or in part, to a Defence-wide Secret Cloud” Also see recommendation 5 against 2026 above

40

January

28 “A digitised approach to Reserves management should be established by January 2027”

41

2028

 

 

July

14. “To maximise existing resources, the MOD should seek to move all Regular personnel from administrative into front-line roles and should automate at least 20% of Human Resources, Finance, and Commercial functions by July 2028. This should be delivered as a minimum first step”

 

 

42

2029

27 “Strengthening Government powers to protect CNI where necessary, completing the process of updating existing legislation or bringing forward new legislation by the end of this Parliament (2029)”

43

2030

14 “Civil Service costs should be reduced by at least 10% by 2030”

26 “Expand in-school and community-based Cadet Forces across the country by 30% by 2030, with an ambition to reach 250,000 in the longer term”

44



Sources



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