Britain can return to its historic role as a global manufacturing leader by strengthening its defence industry, Defense Secretary John Healey said, arguing that a new Defence Industrial Strategy backed by a "historic increase in defence spending" will drive jobs, innovation and security across the United Kingdom.
Healey told readers that the plan is intended to place the UK "at the leading edge of innovation" and ensure the "defence dividend is felt in every region and nation." He said the strategy will support British firms, protect skilled jobs and underpin the capabilities of the country’s Armed Forces, which he described as "extraordinary." He added that maintaining a strong industrial base is essential because an armed force is only as resilient as the industry that supplies it.
In a column published in the Daily Mail, Healey referenced the Industrial Revolution, saying two centuries ago Britain became "the workshop of the world" and that the current policy shift is intended to replicate that surge in national capacity. He said his recent visit to Kyiv — where he said he witnessed the impact of Russian strikes firsthand — reinforced his view that countries under threat require a robust industrial base to sustain and replenish their forces.
Earlier this year, the government published a Strategic Defence Review that Healey said marked a landmark shift toward warfighting readiness aimed at deterring present and emerging threats. He argued that the international security environment is "more dangerous and less predictable than ever," and that rapid technological evolution is transforming the nature of warfare, increasing demand for domestic innovation in areas such as advanced munitions, electronics and support systems.
Healey framed the Defence Industrial Strategy as a comprehensive effort to channel defence spending toward UK suppliers and regional economic development, rather than relying primarily on overseas procurement. He said the strategy seeks to align defence requirements with industrial policy so that investment in defence capability also yields broader economic benefits, including employment and local supply-chain growth.
The defence secretary did not detail specific procurement plans or spending figures in the column but emphasized a priority to foster firms capable of "innovating ahead" of adversaries. He described the approach as a long-term commitment to transition the defence sector toward higher-tech manufacturing and research, and to ensure that investment in national security also supports wider economic resilience.
The government has positioned the strategy as part of a broader push to modernize the armed forces and strengthen national deterrence. Healey’s remarks underscore a continued focus in Westminster on domestic industrial capacity as a central element of defence planning amid ongoing geopolitical tensions in Europe and beyond.