“Fit for the future”, the motto often used by the UK Prime Minister, was again cited by Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson on 12 March 2018 at the Rolls-Royce aerospace factory in Bristol as he encouraged the nation to “step forward” with the Government as it plans to transform the UK defence sector.
The Defence Secretary who spoke on a Policy Exchange think tank platform, is very aware of the increasing threats that the UK faces but is confident that the country will tackle them. The Government has launched the ‘Modernising Defence Programme’, which will build on the MOD’s existing plans. The new plan will focus on all five areas – land, sea, air, space and cyber.
Find out more about the ‘Modernising Defence Programme’ and how this could influence future MOD tenders.
Defence post-Brexit
Brexit was, of course, mentioned during the Defence Secretary’s speech. He confirmed that the Government will take a different approach to defence after Brexit:
“Seizing the moment, as we leave the European Union, to shape our vision for a bolder, more prosperous Britain.”
Gavin William said that the Government’s mission is to “work harder” when educating the nation on the needs of a strong and stable defence strategy – getting the public and UK businesses on board with the Government’s modern defence strategy.
Modernising Defence
“Delivering the hard power to complement Britain’s soft power” was the main message from the Defence Secretary ‘s speech. Gavin Williamson outlined the wish list he needs to modernise the UK Defence programme. The programme aims to:
- Give the UK a more productive Joint Force that will be more efficient when tackling conventional threats as well as new challenges such as cyber-attacks.
- Give service personnel an “edge” when in combat through the use of innovative technology
- Invest in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability, taking this segment of UK defence to the next level.
- Provide “more drones as well as stealth fighters and state-of-the-art anti-submarine ships”
MOD tenders will potentially be released in the near future for the equipment and technology mentioned above, making now a key time for defence suppliers to learn more about defence procurement.
MOD Tenders
Gavin Williamson said that the new programme will “support the growth and competitiveness of the defence sector”.
The MOD is already the UK industry’s single largest customer and around £20 billion is spent on defence procurement each year.
Moving forward, defence suppliers looking to gain a competitive advantage should invest in modern technology that will help them to stay ahead of other market players.
How can DCI help?
Learn more about how to find defence tenders during a free live demo with a member of our team.
We will tailor the session to match your business profile. This will give your business a chance to see first-hand what opportunities and MOD tenders are available to you.
