Defence push reshapes procurement priorities

The UK Government is investing £1.5 billion to establish at least six new munitions and energetics factories, signalling a major shift toward an “always on” defence supply chain. Designed to bolster deterrence and ramp up readiness, the move underlines a critical alignment between defence strategy and industrial capacity.

This initiative will drive procurement of up to 7,000 long-range weapons and increase total munitions spend to £6 billion this Parliament. For procurement leaders, it marks a return to long-term pipeline thinking—resilience, speed, and scalable capacity are now non-negotiables.

With 1,800 jobs to be supported and a national focus on defence as a growth engine, the message is clear: procurement must move faster, think bigger, and build stronger supplier ecosystems to meet the demands of high-tempo conflict.

Read the full article for insights on how this defence shift could redefine industrial strategy