R&D plan recognises need for UK to win race for technological advantage
The UK MoD on 19 October announced a new Science and Technology Strategy for R&D, set against the backdrop of the annual Army Warfighting Experiment (AWE) showcase of UK-developed systems (pictured).
This strategy includes ‘a renewed focus on data, including capture and curation, which will underpin research to identify threat trends and deliver generation-after-next military hardware’, the MoD noted in a statement.
Ben Wallace, Secretary of State for Defence, said: ‘We are in a very real race with our adversaries for technological advantage. What we do today will lay the groundwork for decades to come. Proliferation of new technologies demands our science and technology is threat driven and better aligned to our needs in the future.’
The Science and Technology Strategy for R&D is intended to dovetail with the broader scientific ambitions of the UK government’s Research & Development Roadmap, published in July 2020, as well as the pending integrated review of defence and security capabilities.
The government hopes that these strategies will help the UK academic and industrial base to anticipate, invest in and rapidly exploit various critical technologies.
Public funds account for about 85% of UK defence R&D, so the military scientific community is financially dependent on the government – all the more so because initiatives such as the Defence and Security Accelerator are a major conduit for SMEs and academia to participate in programmes.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
More from Defence Notes
-
US lawmakers warn that “more military spending is absolutely necessary” to ensure Pentagon’s readiness
The US Congress has raised concerns about how inflation rates and cuts in main acquisition programmes could affect the US military.
-
US FY2024 funding package passes as China closes military capability gap
The Pentagon has been operating under temporary funding since October 2023, which has impacted its main acquisition and development programmes, increasing the capability gap between the US and China.
-
NATO outlines future challenges as Ukrainian funding from US stalls
In 2023, defence spending increased by an unprecedented 11% across European NATO countries and Canada. Since 2014, the group has spent an additional US$600 billion on defence.
-
US Pentagon to reduce investments in main acquisition programmes over FY2025
The DoD requested nearly US$850 billion to fund operations over the next fiscal year. Despite the amount being 1% higher than the FY2024 budget request, it has not covered the 3% inflation rate, which could impact the DoD’s main programmes in the medium and long term.
-
Haiti crisis forces Caribbean militaries to prepare for intervention
As gangs gain control of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s Caribbean neighbours have been preparing to intervene in the failed state, with the US and other partners waiting in the wings with equipment and financial support.