Defence Secretary Wes Streeting's Ministry of Defence has published a 59-page region-by-region account of how defence spending supports industry, skills and jobs across the UK.
The UK Defence Footprint 2026, subtitled 'Rearm the country, reindustrialise our communities', records £34.1 billion of MoD spending with UK industry in 2025-26, up 3 per cent on the year before, including £1.3 billion paid directly to small and medium-sized businesses.
It says MoD spending supported 274,000 jobs in UK industry in 2024-25, up 10 per cent, alongside more than 24,000 MoD apprenticeships. More than 2,000 new contracts were placed in 2025-26, including over 500 directly with smaller firms.
An engine for growth in every postcode
The document describes defence as "an engine for growth in every postcode" and central to the Prime Minister's drive to reindustrialise the regions. It sets out £298 billion of planned defence spending over the next four years and five Defence Growth Deals, in Plymouth, South Yorkshire, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, backed by £250 million over five years.
Examples range from shipbuilding and marine engineering in Scotland and armoured vehicles and advanced optics in Wales to missile systems in Northern Ireland, submarines in the North West, engines in the East Midlands and helicopters in the South West.
The publication brings together existing spending, previously announced projects and future plans rather than announcing a new funding package. Its purpose, the MoD says, is to show what defence investment looks like where people live and work.
