Scottish Security Dialogue
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New Porton Down lab to counter biological threats
A new laboratory named after Ernest Bevin will be built at Porton Down to research protection against biological threats to the UK and NATO allies.
UK launches paid military ‘gap year’ to aid recruiting
Young people will be offered a year of paid experience and training in the Armed Forces under a new 'Gap Year' Foundation Scheme modelled on the Australian Defence Force programme.
Thales workers back strike action in pay row
Around 300 staff at Govan and Reading have voted for industrial action after rejecting a below-inflation pay offer, Unite says, with final talks scheduled.
NEWSLETTER
NAVAL NEWS
Britain to start building new nuclear attack subs next year
The Defence Investment Plan confirms construction of the first of up to 12 next-generation attack submarines will begin at Barrow in 2027.
UK seeks naval missile silos that fire without crews aboard
An RFI asks industry for launchers able to stay ready to fire for 30 days with no human interaction, aboard both warships and uncrewed vessels.
British drone warships could boost shipbuilding industry
Six crewed command ships, plus an uncrewed fleet that could top sixty hulls, for a cancelled eleven destroyers and frigates. Measured by yards not tonnage, the hybrid Navy could boost British shipbuilding more than the ships it drops.
Thales workers back strike action in pay row
Around 300 staff at Govan and Reading have voted for industrial action after rejecting a below-inflation pay offer, Unite says, with final talks scheduled.
RFA recruitment improving after years of shortfalls
Applications to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are at a five-year high and voluntary outflow is falling, the MOD says, though challenges remain.
AVIATION NEWS
Leonardo sets out its role in the Defence Investment Plan
Leonardo has welcomed the government's Defence Investment Plan and set out where the company's radars, electronic-warfare payloads, autonomous aircraft and directed-energy work sit within it.
UK has 42 Jaguar jets two decades after retirement
The Ministry of Defence still holds 42 SEPECAT Jaguar aircraft almost two decades after the type retired from Royal Air Force service, with nine more having been transferred to the Indian Air Force.
UK to expand drone testing across Canadian prairie base
The British Army's sprawling training area in Canada is to become a major testing ground for uncrewed systems, with new investment enabling drone activity across 2,700 square kilometres of prairie.
Huge contract awarded for new British fighter jet
The programme to deliver Britain's next-generation fighter jet has been awarded a £4.6 billion contract.
British fighters scrambled six times against Russia in 2025
Quick Reaction Alert aircraft launched on six days last year and three so far in 2026, according to figures released to Graeme Downie, the Labour MP for Dunfermline and Dollar.
LAND NEWS
Burnham vows to plug 4.7bn hole in defence plan
The incoming Prime Minister committed to fully funding the Defence Investment Plan, a third of which is not yet paid for.
New Porton Down lab to counter biological threats
A new laboratory named after Ernest Bevin will be built at Porton Down to research protection against biological threats to the UK and NATO allies.
UK launches paid military ‘gap year’ to aid recruiting
Young people will be offered a year of paid experience and training in the Armed Forces under a new 'Gap Year' Foundation Scheme modelled on the Australian Defence Force programme.
Britain to extend military recall liability to age 65
Former UK service personnel could be recalled up to age 65 under the Armed Forces Bill, with the threshold lowered to cover 'warlike preparations', the Defence Investment Plan confirms.
Project Grayburn funded but absent from investment plan
Project Grayburn, the programme to replace the British Army's SA80 rifle, is funded despite not appearing as a specific line in the Defence Investment Plan.



































