The UK government says it is continuing to assess the strength of the country’s defence industrial base as it seeks to expand domestic industry capacity and resilience.
Responding to a written parliamentary question from Reform UK MP Lee Anderson, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the Ministry of Defence regularly evaluates whether the industrial base is able to meet national security requirements.
Pollard pointed to the government’s Defence Industrial Strategy, published in September 2025, which outlines plans to strengthen the UK’s defence manufacturing and supply chains.
“The Ministry of Defence regularly assesses the UK’s defence industrial base to ensure it meets national security needs,” Pollard said.
He added that recent work has focused on improving supply chain resilience, addressing workforce shortages and increasing collaboration with allied partners.
“Recent efforts focus on strengthening supply chain resilience, addressing workforce skills gaps, fostering innovation, enhancing collaboration with allies, and supporting sustainable, modern defence solutions.”
The minister also said the government intends to direct a greater share of defence spending toward companies based in the UK.
“This Government is directing more of a growing defence budget at British based firms and we have committed to increasing direct spend with SMEs by 50% by 2027.”
The response also referenced a series of initiatives intended to support industrial capacity and workforce development.
These include the creation of new Defence Technical Excellence Colleges aimed at developing specialist engineering and technical skills, as well as the launch of five defence growth deals designed to support regional defence industries.
The government says these measures form part of broader efforts to ensure the UK’s defence sector remains competitive while supporting national security requirements.
It assess a lot, buys little, orders little, when it come empty press release and government waffle the MOD is a world leader. So really not a lot going on made look like some thing is going on. State normal. Supply chain, ha ha try replacing the stuff we gifted to Ukraine, we are more than a bit short on ammo, still.