19 July 2026

Private Capital in UK Defence

Royal United Services Institute  |  Linus Terhorst

The UK government is seeking to increase private capital investment to finance innovative military technologies and scale up domestic production capacity. While public spending remains the primary driver of growth, current budgetary constraints limit the state's ability to fund these critical advancements independently amid rising European security threats.

This capital shortfall persists despite a national commitment to raise defence spending to 3.5% of gross domestic product by 2035. To bridge this gap, the Defence Industrial Strategy highlights the need to support domestic businesses to ensure supply chain resilience during crises. The Ministry of Defence must reform its procurement processes by embracing risk, centralising market intelligence, and establishing a dedicated coordination forum for trusted private investors. Additionally, streamlining investment screening through a certification regime for vetted funds will prevent administrative delays while protecting sensitive national security information. These structural reforms aim to foster a dynamic innovation ecosystem, accelerate technology acquisition, and leverage global capital to bolster national security.

Comment
Western militaries must modernise their industrial bases to sustain high-intensity warfare. Relying solely on state budgets creates severe operational bottlenecks during prolonged conflicts. Private capital integration offers a viable pathway to accelerate technological adaptation. This funding model will ultimately determine the speed of battlefield deployment for emerging capabilities.

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