The UK defence industry has released a video demonstrating the sector's continuing importance to the nation’s armed forces and economy.
The Defence Industries Council (DIC), representing the UK-based defence industry, has released an information video demonstrating the role it plays in providing high-quality equipment for the UK armed forces, as well as high-value employment for over 300,000 people across all regions of the country.
In the run-up to the Defence Green Paper, expected in the near future, the video showcases engineering, manufacturing and services excellence from across the UK-based defence industry spectrum — ranging from the UK’s largest manufacturer BAE Systems, Britain’s second largest defence company, the Italian multi-national group Finmeccanica, the US multinational Northrop Grumman’s UK operations and Canada’s Vector Aerospace facilities.
The industry is seeking clarity from the major political parties on their future plans for defence following the next General Election to determine investment and capability decisions. Ian Godden, secretary of the DIC, said, “The defence industry underpins Britain’s leading role on the world stage, employment for over 300,000 people and the capabilities of our magnificent armed forces. As this video showcases, however, the future of our industry — number one in Europe and second only to the US globally — remains uncertain. We now need clarity from the nation’s politicians around defence investment if this excellent position is to be maintained into the future.
“The presence of the industry should not be taken for granted, because it is by no means guaranteed to continue without the right future investment from both the public and private sector. Government spending on defence has halved as a percentage of gross domestic product over the last twenty years, and this is not sustainable. Political parties now need to outline to the country what their foreign policy, defence and security approaches will be to inform decision-making in our world-leading industry.”
The video is available for viewing – click here – Armed forces and the economy
Edward Machin
