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New figures from the UK indicate how increasing national spending on defence aims to strengthen global position in the face of emerging threats and positively impact everyday working people.
The UK’s spending on the national defence industry grew by 6 per cent in the past year following the introduction of the Defence Industrial Strategy, with the economic benefit being felt by everyday Brits.
Due to the changing and dynamic nature of modern security threats, the UK Ministry of Defence reported that industry investment in the weapons and ammunition sector increased by 21 per cent in the past year to remain “resilient and responsive to any challenge”.
The figures show a dramatic rise in national spending, with a total of £31.7 billion invested in defence in the past year, the highest level in the UK for over a decade.
These numbers defy the age-old view that defence spending results in little everyday benefits for the average person and wider economy, as the government aims to use defence as a tool to grow the national economy and create an opportunity for hundreds of new jobs to emerge.
In a recent statement, the Ministry of Defence highlighted how they are “making defence an engine for growth, with increased investment creating jobs and opportunities in communities across the country to raise living standards and put more money in working people’s pockets”.
The record spending comes as the newly implemented Defence Industrial Strategy begins to take hold across industries. The strategy, announced last week, aims to assist in “enabling the building of a resilient supply chain and supporting innovation across the defence sector”.
As part of the strategy, one of the primary aims is to support the development and growth of UK businesses through promoting onshore development and innovation in the defence sector. The figures point to this goal being successfully on its way to being achieved, with industry investments converting to approximately £460 for every person living in the UK, a £20 increase from the previous year. In terms of the regions feeling the growth the most, Yorkshire and Humber saw a 30 per cent rise in defence spending, 18 per cent in London and 15 per cent in North West areas.
“These new figures show how the defence dividend from our record investment is benefiting working people across the UK,” Defence Secretary John Healey said in a statement.
“[The Defence Industrial Strategy] will provide the resilient industrial base that we need for the future.”
