How UK Defence can deepen its international relationships with
allies and partners to support defence and wider foreign policy.
Defence Diplomacy
Strategy
Details
The global security landscape is more dangerous and more
contested than at any point in recent history. The threats to the
UK are real, intensifying, and do not stop at borders. How we
deter them and defend ourselves against them depends on the
strength of our alliances and our ability to work seamlessly with
partners.
In the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) published on 2 June 2025,
the Government committed to bring forward a Defence Diplomacy
Strategy. Today, we fulfil that commitment. Our first ever
Defence Diplomacy Strategy lays the foundation for UK Defence to
be more deliberate, targeted and coherent in deepening its
international relationships with allies and partners to support
defence and wider foreign policy.
The Strategic Defence Review is clear on what is required. The UK
must be ready to fight and win, strengthen Euro-Atlantic
security, and put NATO at the heart of everything we do.
The Rt Hon MP, Secretary of State for
Defence said:
In this new era of threat, now is the era for hard power, strong
alliances and sure diplomacy. Since we entered office, our
government has strengthened the UK's relationships with our key
allies and partners. We've got new defence agreements with
Norway, Germany, France, the EU. We've delivered record defence
export deals. And I'm proud that the UK is leading on
international support for Ukraine. This is critical for
delivering security for people at home, boosting NATO's
collective deterrence and making defence an engine for jobs and
growth.
The Defence Diplomacy Strategy's vision is to make the UK secure
at home and strong abroad, by focusing on the partnerships that
underpin NATO First and shape wider UK interests.
A NATO First approach means leading within the Alliance, shaping
its future, and ensuring the UK remains a credible, dependable
partner.
Minister of State for Defence, said:
The threats we face are more serious and less predictable than at
any time since the Cold War. NATO First does not mean NATO only –
security in the Euro-Atlantic is indivisible from security in the
Middle East and Indo-Pacific. This first ever Defence Diplomacy
Strategy ensures the UK remains fully committed to working with
our global allies and partners on shared priorities.
Defence diplomacy is therefore not an optional extra, it is a
core tool of national power, central to deterrence, resilience
and growth.
The Defence Diplomacy Strategy enables Defence to co-ordinate
more closely across government to deliver the UK's foreign and
defence policy objectives. While the full Strategy is necessarily
classified, the public summary focuses on the implementation
actions:
- A prioritised approach - aligning effort to outcomes and
measuring progress.
- Coordinating the use of all the levers and tools of Defence
through the Defence Strategic Effects Cycle.
- Making defence diplomacy an engine for growth - driving jobs,
investment and prosperity.
- Expertise that endures - language skills, regional knowledge
and valued international careers.
- One team, one plan - visits, training, exercises and exports
working towards the same objectives.
- Evidence-based impact - data driven planning and systematic
measurement of results.
This is a new model for how the UK projects defence influence
overseas: disciplined, prioritised, data-driven and outcome
focused. It is about turning our alliances into our strategic
strength, partnerships into deterrence, and diplomacy into
security and growth for the nation.
