UK Defence Secretary - Keynote speech DSEI Japan 2023

During a speech at DSEI Japan, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace spoke about the importance of long-term industry partnerships for the Global Combat Air Programme.

Thank you for the kind welcome you showed to me and my team from the United Kingdom. We’re all delighted to be here.

In 1964, Honda Formula One entered into global motorsport, and the rest is history. Six constructors championships, six driver championships, and in turn 223 podiums and 89 race victories. When I was younger I used to race motocross. I had a Suzuki and was always beaten by Kawasaki.

Britain’s partnership with advanced engineering in Japan is not new. In fact, it goes over many decades. It’s a 60 year partnership with Honda and Formula One. And we know that as we go forward with GCAP, it’ll be an equally long and enduring relationship. GCAP is a strategic partnership to create a sixth generation fighter. I’m excited not only because it’s a great partnership of these three nations, bridging Europe and the Pacific, but also because we’re one of the first to lead the sixth generation development.

It’s going to fuse the best of all of our technologies. And we’re going to not only be partners but we’re also customers. I think that is important also to remember. We’re going to unlock paths and new technologies, new platforms, export markets and potential new partners, but lock in a strategic partnership of liberal open democracies, who believe in the rule of law and upholding international values across the world that are threatened so strongly today. It’s a global partnership. It’s not a local partnership.

GCAP isn’t going to be a short love affair. It’s going to be a marriage. AUKUS was another project we announced this week - the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, developing the next generation of nuclear attack submarines. That’s a 20, 30, 40 year programme. And GCAP will also be of a similar length. So when we as the nations committed to this programme, there’s no going back. The three partners have to keep each other going with forward momentum. There’s no changing our mind at the end of the decade or halfway through because to do so is to let each other down. People don’t like letting teams down and nor should they and industry must also share that overall responsibility. Industry mustn’t look just to itself and its own shareholders. It’s got to look across because as ministers and Chief of Air Staff, our job is to deliver a requirement to defend our nations and that goes above all else. It goes above individual industry self interest, it will go above shareholder interest and that has to be the overruling principle that must guide this.

So as we progress to the next phases, let’s remember that at the heart of this it’s about defending our democracies and our values. It will not only help deliver a sixth generation fighter, but will also help other industries and complement other developments.

GCAP from the United Kingdom’s point of view, we will be investing £2 billion up to 2025 and £10 billion over the next 10 years. The overall development programme will be above £25 billion over the next 10 years and they’ll share designs and hopefully get towards development by 2025. And in service to Japan by 2035, a key milestone, a milestone that we must all meet and all deliver for the Japanese. It’s incredibly important that we don’t let this slip.

The next milestone this year is the agreement of the system’s requirements. And I will add my own air force to make sure that the requirements are common amongst all three air forces and kept consistent. 2025 is the development phase and the flying phase is towards the end of the decade or early 2030s. I think it’s incredibly exciting.

When you look at the lead industries engaged in this, BAE, Mitsubishi, Leonardo, Rolls Royce, IHI. It’s some of the world leading companies that are going to be contributing to sixth generation capability. I think we should all be incredibly proud we’ve got to this stage, but momentum is important. Keeping our side of the bargain will be very, very important. Unlocking the potential of SMEs to collaborate and recognising that this sixth generation fighter will unlock a whole new hope for global air dominance, global export markets, and lay the foundation for thousands of jobs for all our countries and our taxpayers, who after all, are contributing to make this a reality. Thank you.