The UK is expanding defence industrial cooperation with NATO allies and international partners, including the United States, as part of a wider effort to strengthen production capacity, supply chains and military readiness, the Ministry of Defence has said.
Defence Minister Luke Pollard set out the position in response to a written parliamentary question from Labour MP Callum Anderson, who asked what discussions the Government had held with allies on increasing defence industrial cooperation.
Pollard said work had accelerated since publication of the Defence Industrial Strategy in September 2025, with greater emphasis on exports, strategic partnerships, information sharing and what the department describes as a NATO-first approach to industrial cooperation.
He said: “Since publication of the Defence Industrial Strategy on 8 September 2025, the Department has strengthened collaboration with industry, NATO Allies and international partners, including the United States, to support UK defence exports, deepen strategic partnerships, improve information sharing and promote a NATO-first approach to industrial co-operation.”
The MOD also pointed to the role of National Armaments International in helping British defence companies compete for overseas contracts.
Pollard said: “National Armaments International is supporting UK companies to compete overseas, with record successes in 2025 including the UK’s biggest ever warship deal to Norway and the largest fighter jet exports agreement in a generation, promoting global security while boosting growth at home.”
The department is linking that international activity with efforts to expand industrial capacity inside the UK. This includes giving companies clearer indications of future demand, investing in priority capabilities and strengthening supply chains in sectors considered important to military readiness.
A further element is expected to come through the planned Defence Readiness Bill, which Pollard said is due later in the current Parliament. At alliance level, the UK is continuing work on NATO initiatives intended to increase defence production and make supply chains more resilient across member states.
The UK also backed a new NATO strategy for cooperation with industry at the recent Ankara summit.
Pollard said: “The UK also joined Allies in endorsing the new Strategy for Industry NATO Cooperation at the recent Ankara summit and maintains a strong partnership with the UK delegation to the NATO Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG), enabling senior industrialists to offer expertise and strategic insight on a wide range of security policy, defence planning, and capability issues.”
The NATO Industrial Advisory Group provides a route for defence companies and industrial specialists to feed expertise into alliance planning and capability discussions. Britain hosted the NIAG plenary in June 2026, an event the MOD said demonstrated a shared government and industry commitment to NATO capability development and further cooperation between allied defence sectors.
