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The UK Secretary of State for Defence, John Healey, has used a key speech to outline the Starmer government’s priorities as they get ever closer to the delivery of the UK’s Strategic Defence Review, which is set to have major implications for UK power and presence in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has smashed post-Cold War myths – the unbridled promise of a global free market, the triumph of liberal democracy over autocracy, and even Francis Fukuyama’s “End of History.” The heady days of optimism are over, replaced by a world where autocrats are on the march and the old order is falling apart.
Nowhere is this shift more evident than in the United Kingdom. Just as the nation was regaining its footing after Brexit, COVID-19, and a turbulent leadership change from Boris Johnson to Liz Truss to Rishi Sunak, the shock of Russia’s aggression has pushed Britain back to a crisis reminiscent of the early Second World War.
For the British Armed Forces, the timing of the invasion and the ensuing waves of US- and UK-led support couldn’t be worse. Boris Johnson’s ambitious plan to modernise and restructure the forces – aimed at pivoting the nation towards a multipolar world order in Eastern Europe and the Indo-Pacific – now faces a brutal test.
Johnson’s vision of a “Global Britain” was a bold promise to restore the UK’s status as a military, economic and political heavyweight, with this radical shift echoing similar ambitions announced by former defence secretary Gavin Williamson’s 2019 pledge for a “major departure and reorientation” – the biggest shake-up in UK defence since the “East of Suez” doctrine of the 1960s.
However, despite the rhetoric throughout the 15 years of Conservative government, the UK Armed Forces has continued to steadily decline, to the point where a US general issued a pointed warning to the then defence secretary, Ben Wallace, saying, “Bottom line ... it’s an entire service unable to protect the UK and our allies for a decade.”
This was further compounded by a series of concerning details outlined about the state of readiness of the British Armed Forces, namely:
- The British Armed Forces would run out of ammunition “in a few days” if called upon to fight.
- The Royal Air Force lacks the ability to defend its skies against the level of missile and drone strikes that Ukraine is enduring.
- It would take five to 10 years for the Army to be able to field a warfighting division of some 25,000 to 30,000 troops backed by the required tanks, artillery and helicopters.
- Thirty per cent of the UK’s forces on high readiness are Reservists who are unable to mobilise within NATO timelines.
- The majority of the Army’s fleet of armoured vehicles, including tanks, was built between 30 to 60 years ago and full replacements are not due for years.
Recognising the precarious position the UK Armed Forces has found itself in, the Starmer government launched the Strategic Defence Review, focusing on a complete, first principles review and recalibration of the UK’s Armed Forces to better position the UK to serve as a linchpin security nation in the European theatre and more broadly, globally.
Leading the charge from the government side is UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey, who has outlined the central pillars of the Starmer government’s review in a speech to the Institute for Government in London, saying, “As I said on my first day as secretary of state in the department, when I came through the doors, I’m a defence secretary that’s more interested in getting results and global opportunities than headlines.”
Secretary Healy stressed the Starmer government’s commitment to “delivery”, stating, “Over these first seven months, we stepped up and speeded up support for Ukraine. We’ve increased defence spending this year by nearly £3 billion (AU$5.9 billion), and we’ll set the path to spending 2.5 per cent of GDP in the spring.”
This increase in funding, albeit a marginal increase, is part of larger priorities, with Secretary Healey emphasising the vital role of reform in the UK’s defence sector, highlighting the need for clear, consistent accountability at all levels. He criticised the current system for its duplication and bureaucracy, which hampers efficiency and results.
Secretary Healey said, “First, underpinning it all is the absence of clear, consistent accountability, central to the effectiveness of any organisation. Yet I have been in too many meetings when I ask, who’s leading this? Who’s responsible for getting this done? And no one is able to give me a single, clear answer.”
Building on this, Healey stressed the importance of a new leadership structure – a “quad” of senior figures, including the chief of the defence staff, permanent secretary, national armaments director, and chief of defence nuclear. This team is designed to streamline decision making, focus on outcomes and ensure rapid delivery of defence capabilities.
Unpacking this “quad”, Secretary Healey detailed the new look Defence command structure, emphasising “warfighting, readiness and [on] deterrence” saying, “The chief of the defence staff, who, for the first time since this role was created, now commands the service chiefs and will be the head of newly established Military Strategic Headquarters, responsible for force design and war planning across our integrated force.
“The permanent secretary, our principal accounting officer, who will run a leaner, more agile Department of State with more policy muscle to lead arguments across Whitehall and with allies, we’ll revamp senior roles to elevate those into policymakers with broad portfolios and powerful mandates. Third, our new armaments director, who will fix procurement and drive growth. I’ll come back to the detail of the national armaments director in a moment.”
Secretary Healey said, “Fourthly, our chief of defence nuclear, who will continue to lead and deliver the national nuclear enterprise within the recently established ring fence and freedoms.”
Directly linked to the increase in funding, Healey outlined an increased focus on fundamental reforms for the financial structures, comptrollers and responsibilities within the UK Armed Forces that would see a reduction from the current 10 top line budget holders, to be consolidated to four, supported by three centrally determined budgets (readiness, operations, and investment). This restructuring aims to eliminate waste, reduce duplication and improve value for money
Secretary Healey said, “While everyone agrees that defence spending needs to increase, it’s not just how much you spend, but it’s how well you spend it. And we’re simply not securing the value for money our armed forces, our economy needs for every defence panel.”
Detailing this further, Healey added, “Instead of the 10 current top line budget holders, there will be four new budget holders, one for each of this new quad. We will introduce three new centrally determined financial budgets, each with ministerial oversight, readiness, operations and investment.
It is envisaged that this shift and prioritisation of financial responsibility will emphasise a host of additional efficiencies across the UK’s defence spending and the bloated, bureaucratic structures that exist within the UK Armed Forces at White Hall, saying, “The new readiness budget will hold the chiefs of the services to account for how they run their day-to-day spending. This will be done by the chief of defence staff through our new Military Strategic Headquarters. The Military Strategic Headquarters will be responsible for the new operations budget, unencumbered by the excess bureaucracy and the lack of clarity that characterises the way the defence is organised now, and ministers will direct those priorities.
Going further, Healey added, “And then finally, our new national armaments director will run the single new investment budget, bringing together eight separate procurement budgets across the organisation into one. This will help cut waste, reduce duplication, it will help ensure that we are buying better what our front-line forces need. In turn, the armaments director will acquire owning capabilities which are affordable within the budgets set by ministers.”
All of these factors will, fundamentally, underpin what Healey described as the most drastic shake-up of the UK’s defence capabilities in more than 50 years, with the UK government seeking to prioritise Britain’s role and responsibility in Europe and the long arm of the UK, more broadly, across the globe, including in the Indo-Pacific.
Healey said, “Defence is changing. Our reform program represents the biggest shake-up of UK defence for over 50 years. Let me say this. This is a government whose commitment to defence is unshakeable. It’s the foundation for our Plan for Change, for the delivery of our government’s missions, we will match sustained investment with serious reform.
“It will mean growing the economy. It will mean a more muscular defence for a more dangerous world. It will mean Britain which is secure at home and strong abroad,” Secretary Healey said.
