MoD: Government seeking opinions to improve Royal Navy, British Army and RAF in defence review - publish date

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is calling for evidence regarding its 2024 Strategic Defence Review. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer launched the review on July 16, shortly after Labour won this summer’s general election.

He said the review was necessary before increasing funding for the armed forces. The government has pledged to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - as did the previous Conservative regime - but have not given a timeline for when this will happen. Mr Starmer intimated a negative financial outlook recently, with the upcoming budget being a “painful” one.

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The MoD said: “The Review will ensure that Defence is central both to the security, and to the economic growth and prosperity, of the United Kingdom. The reviewers would like to take this opportunity to engage widely and seek public views. Your input is encouraged and is welcomed.”

The government body said the UK is facing “growing and diversifying” threats, including the war between Russia and Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East and instability caused by climate change. They added that these threats are from terrorist groups and other organisations. The consultation is asking for serving military, veterans, MPs of all parties, industry, and academia to submit their thoughts.

It is being lead by three external reviewers including Lord Robertson, former defence secretary and Nato Secretary General, Dr Fiona Hill CMG, foreign policy expert and former US presidential advisor, and General Sir Richard Barrons – former Commander Joint Forces Command and former Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff. The final report is scheduled to be published in the first half of 2025. The survey can be found here.