Leading US and UK defense companies will meet UK Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP, in Washington DC today to discuss opportunities to strengthen bilateral defense cooperation, and highlight the importance of setting out clear defense spending commitments to secure long-term investment in the UK.
The meeting coincides with the release of a new BritishAmerican Business (BAB) report, Partnering for the Future: Priorities for US-UK Defense Cooperation in an Evolving Global Security Environment, which sets out a roadmap for deepening transatlantic defense cooperation and investment to meet the realities of the future battlespace.
Against a backdrop of heightened geopolitical instability and a complex global threat environment, the report identifies areas where US-UK defense cooperation should be strengthened to maintain military advantage, enhance resilience and leverage the scale, innovation and investment capacity of defense companies on both sides of the Atlantic.
The report, which draws on input from leading US and UK defense companies, prioritises the following four areas:
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- Strengthening the defense industrial base, particularly on streamlining procurement, building interoperability, and securing supply chains
- Deepening collaboration on advanced air, land, and sea technologies to maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly technological battlespace
- Enhancing cooperation on space and cyber capabilities, which are defining future warfare
- Partnering to generate new and diverse sources of energy for defense, as the future battlespace demands more power
The report also highlights that delivering on these priorities requires clear and sustained defense spending commitments on both sides of the Atlantic. In particular, it calls on the UK to release its Defence Investment Plan and honour its pledge to spend five percent of GDP on national security. Industry leaders suggest that without clear procurement and investment commitments, the UK risks losing significant industry investment to international competitors.
BritishAmerican Business CEO Duncan Edwards said:
“The US and the UK have a long history of defense cooperation spanning more than a century, from intelligence sharing to joint military operations, with businesses in both countries playing a critical role in each other’s defense sectors.
“Against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty and technological change, the risks we face are more complex and immediate than at any time in recent decades.
“Our report sets out how we can strengthen transatlantic defense cooperation between government and business to ensure we can deliver the capabilities needed for the future.
“That ambition must be backed by sustained investment. Clear defense spending commitments, particularly from the UK, will be essential to securing the investment, innovation, and readiness required to meet these challenges.”