The government announced that Britain would increase its fleet of nuclear-powered attack subs. This announcement comes ahead of an upcoming defence review, which is expected to state that the country needs to invest billions in order to be prepared and equipped for a modern conflict.

As other European leaders, Keir starmer is also racing to rebuild the country's defense capabilities, after U.S. president Donald Trump said that Europe needed to be more responsible for its security.

The Strategic Defence Review on Monday will urge Britain's Armed Forces to achieve a "warfighting-readiness" state, highlighting the changing security threats as well as which defence technologies they need to combat them.

John Healey, the defence minister, said that "we know threats are increasing. We must act quickly to stop Russian aggression."

The Ministry of Defence announced that Britain would build 12 of its nuclear-powered next-generation attack subs to replace the seven currently in service. These submarines will carry conventional, non-nuclear, weapons.

Britain has a separate fleet armed with nuclear missiles. The government announced for the first-time that a programme already in place to develop a replacement model of the nuclear warhead used by the fleet would cost around 15 billion pounds.

Healey continued, "With our own nuclear-warhead programme and new submarines patrolling the international waters, we make Britain strong at home and secure abroad."

The new subs will be developed jointly by the UK and Australia as part of the AUKUS security partnership.

REVERSE DECLINE

Starmer, in light of Trump’s decision to end decades of strategic dependence on the U.S. from Europe, has already committed to increase Britain’s defence spending to try to reverse a decline in military capability that has been going on for a long time.

He has pledged to increase defence spending by 2.5% of the GDP by 2027, and to 3% over the long term. He warned that Britain should be prepared to win and fight a war with states who have advanced military capabilities.

The government announced that it would spend billions of dollars on munitions factories, battlefield technology, and military housing in the weeks leading up to Starmer's Strategic Defence Review. Starmer ordered the review shortly after he took office, last July.

Starmer, who is juggling severely stretched public finances, a slowly growing economy, and declining popularity among an increasingly unsatisfied electorate has tried to portray increased defence spending as a means to create wealth and jobs. In a speech to launch the review on Monday, he will likely say that this plan would ensure Britain's security at home and abroad while creating well-paid jobs across the country.

(source: Reuters)