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Weekly Defence Rundown 28th July – 3rd August 2025

by CMS Team on 04 August, 2025

Headlines over the past week have been dominated by Sir Keir Starmer’s ultimatum to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that the UK could recognise a Palestinian state as soon as the UN General Assembly in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire and takes steps to end the “appalling situation” in Gaza. A major shift in the UK’s stance on the issue, the move has drawn criticism from both sides of the political spectrum, with Labour backbenchers arguing that it doesn’t go far enough, while Trump and other sceptics claim that Starmer has overstepped.

In other news, amid an overhaul of MoD senior leadership, it was announced that David Williams, the permanent secretary at the MoD, has resigned and will leave the job in Autumn. While this announcement comes in the wake of the Afghan data leak, Healey is believed to have urged Williams that it was time for him to resign before the details of the leak were made public.

Defence Brief: Key Insights from the Week        

  • BAE Systems raises profit guidance on back of higher military spending (Financial Times)
  • Navy’s only amphibious warship unsafe to sail (The Telegraph)
  • Pressures mount on MoD to get procurement working for the digital age (The Observer)
  • UK to recognise Palestine unless Israel agrees ceasefire and ends Gaza suffering (The i Paper)
  • Top MoD civil servant to quit in wake of Afghan data leak fallout (The Times)
  • Reeves tells universities: Let defence firms recruit your students (The Telegraph)
  • Ex-Apple engineer brings Silicon Valley tactics to European defence tech (Financial Times)

Industry Latest:

  • Leonardo agrees to acquire Iveco’s defence business for $1.9bn (Army Technology)
  • UK launches ACP Tranche 2 ‘loyal wingman’ effort (Janes)
  • Esport tournaments to improve digital skills of UK military (Army Technology)
  • Innovation and SMEs – What to expect at DSEI UK 2025 (UK Defence Journal)
  • UK test constellation of high altitude ISR balloons (Airforce Technology)
  • DSEI UK hosts discussion on accelerating defence tech (Army Technology)
  • Hanwha Aerospace Technology Transfer for Nuri Rocket (Joint Forces)
  • Boeing/Saab in talks with BAE on UK jet trainer bid, sources say (Reuters)

Direct from Government:

  • The third UK–Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership Dialogue Communique (MoD Press Release)
  • New UK esports collaboration to boost digital and cyber skills (MoD Press Release)

News from Further Afar:

  • Germany is reportedly preparing for a wave of multi-billion-euro procurement orders. This will include some 20 Eurofighter jets, 3,000 Boxer vehicles, and 3,500 Patria IFVs (Reuters)
  • As a report into “Signalgate” is expected to be released within weeks, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is reportedly considering running for Tennessee governor. If he were to run for office – the governor’s race in Tennessee takes place next year – Hegseth would be forced to resign from cabinet, due to Pentagon rules barring civilian employees from seeking government office (The Telegraph)
  • Ukraine has claimed to have conducted a major hacking operation, obtaining classified data on a new Russian nuclear submarine, the Knyaz Pozharsky. The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine claims that the data not only exposes the limitations of this particular submarine, but of the entire Borei-class fleet of nuclear submarines that underpins Russia’s strategic position in the Arctic (The Times)
  • Also on Ukraine, the SBU (Ukraine’s Security Service) has arrested an air force officer accused of spying for Russia’s military intelligence agency by leaking the locations and flight schedules of Western supplied fighter jets. The officer is also suspected of helping coordinate missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian air bases (The Times)
  • After a row with Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, Donald Trump has ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the “appropriate regions” (Sky News)

CMS Podcast of the Week:

War on the Rocks | Drones, Discord, and the Shifting Front in Ukraine

Coming Up This Week:

With Parliament on summer recess, this week is expected to be quieter than usual, as Defence Committee sessions and debates in the House are on hold until 1st September.

However, the political fallout from Starmer’s stance on Gaza shows no sign of abating. Facing backlash from both the left and right over what many view as a cautious approach, the issue is likely to remain front and centre in the news over the coming week.

Image: AS1 Leah Jones and is under UK MOD © Crown copyright 2025

 

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