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UK SMEs remain vulnerable in effort to help build sovereign capabilities, JCNSS report warns

3rd April 2026 - 09:34 GMT | by Lucy Powell in London, UK

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Drones awaiting shipment to Ukraine as part of the UK-led Drone Coalition, many of which are British designed and produced. (Photo: Crown Copyright).

The report comes as heads of industry bodies warn that the delayed defence spending plan has left smaller and medium sized businesses in stasis, unable to plan or seek out further investment.

The UK must do more to support its defence industrial base – namely small and medium enterprises (SMEs) – to ensure their contribution to developing sovereign capabilities can be pursued, a committee report on the UK’s National Security Strategy has noted.

Published on 27 March by the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy (JCNSS), the report called for greater clarity and noted that insufficient support and guidance was being given to SMEs.

The ongoing delay to the UK Defence Investment Plan (DIP) continues to raise concerns among industry bodies, as overall plans for support of SMEs as well as

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Lucy Powell

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Lucy Powell


Lucy Powell is Shephard’s Air Reporter. An award-winning journalist with over four years in …

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