Innovative technology will reach the hands of military personnel
faster, as the work of the new UK Defence Innovation (UKDI)
organisation kicks off today with its formal establishment.
- UK Defence Innovation begins work today to streamline
delivery of innovative technology to Armed Forces personnel.
- £400 million annual budget will help create high-skilled jobs
in the dual-use technology sector and turbocharge growth, as part
of the government's Plan for Change.
- UK Strategic Command will be renamed Cyber & Specialist
Operations Command to reflect its evolved role and enhanced
responsibilities following the SDR.
UKDI will be the focal point for innovation within the Ministry
of Defence, backed by a ringfenced annual budget of at least £400
million – supporting the government's Plan for Change by driving
defence as an engine for UK growth and creating high-skilled jobs
in the dual-use technology sector.
It follows the government committing to the largest sustained
increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War –
hitting 2.6% by 2027, with an ambition to reach 3% in the next
Parliament.
The new body will simplify and streamline the innovation system
within MOD – as outlined in last month's Strategic Defence Review
(SDR). It will take a new approach by moving quickly and
decisively, using different ways of contracting, to enable UK
companies to scale up innovative prototypes rapidly, by setting
out a clear pathway, working with the rest of government, from
initial production to manufacturing at
scale.
UKDI will make the UK a defence innovation leader, funding and
supporting firms of all sizes to take state-of-the-art technology
from the drawing board to the production line, and into the hands
of our Armed Forces. It will ensure cutting-edge innovations get
into the hands of our Armed Forces faster, enhancing military
capability while driving economic growth.
This announcement comes alongside another significant
development, with UK Strategic Command being renamed as the Cyber
& Specialist Operations Command (CSOC). This change reflects
the Command's evolved role and enhanced responsibilities
following the SDR, particularly its leadership of the cyber
domain, which the SDR demanded a greater focus on across defence
and government as a whole. It also follows the MOD having to
protect UK military networks against more than 90,000
‘sub-threshold' attacks in the last two years.
Defence Secretary, MP
said:
Defence is only as strong as the industry that stands behind it
and through UKDI we're putting innovation at the heart of our
approach.
This shift represents a crucial part of our commitment to change
defence, backing the high-growth UK firms developing pioneering
technology of the future to boost our national security and make
defence an engine for growth - fundamental to our Plan for Change
and delivering on the SDR.
The new name firmly places leadership of this crucial domain for
defence and the Armed Forces with the new Command. It also better
represents CSOC's ‘Lead Command' responsibilities for those
specialist capabilities critical to operational success,
including Intelligence, Special Forces, deployed medical
capabilities, and Command and Control through the Permanent Joint
Headquarters (PJHQ).
General Sir Jim Hockenhull, Commander, Cyber &
Specialist Operations Command, said:
The transition to Cyber & Specialist Operations Command is
far more than a change in name - it is a clear statement of
purpose. It reflects our leadership in the cyber domain, the
integration of specialist capabilities, and our commitment to
delivering effects across Defence. This new identity captures the
essence of who we are: a community of experts, united by mission,
operating at the forefront of modern warfare.
The defence sector is a major contributor to the UK economy, with
the industry supporting over 430,000 jobs nationwide – equivalent
to one in every 60 UK jobs.
As part of UKDI's launch, two key initiatives have been
established:
-
A new Rapid Innovation Team (RIT) enabling innovation at
‘wartime pace' by utilising commercially available dual-use
technology to address the most urgent operational problems.
-
Regional Engagement Teams across the UK to identify and
support dual-use innovation from SMEs and academic spin-outs,
delivering targeted outreach and business development
support.
The SDR highlighted the rapidly evolving threat landscape and the
critical need for the UK to maintain its technological edge. UKDI
will play a pivotal role in implementing the SDR's
recommendations by breaking down barriers between defence and
commercial innovation, ensuring that game-changing technologies
can be rapidly identified, developed, and deployed to the front
line.
The organisation has been formally established today and will
develop over the next 12 months, with further design, transition
and implementation work, while determining the optimal workforce
structure needed to achieve its long-term ambitions. UKDI will be
fully operational by July 2026.
