Weekly Defence Rundown 24th – 31st August 2025

The past week was full of rumours that Starmer’s first cabinet reshuffle was underway, beginning with the departure of Nin Pandit, the PM’s principal private secretary, as he prepares for a crucial few months following summer recess.

The MoD has also revealed that Britain has signed a £10bn contract to supply five Type 26 submarine-hunting frigates to Norway, marking the largest warship export deal in the UK’s history. A further eight Type 26 frigates are already being built for the Royal Navy, replacing the Type 23.

Additionally, in a major escalation, the EU’s diplomatic mission and British Council in central Kyiv were damaged in a Russia missile attack. With 23 people including four children killed, this marked the deadliest aerial attack against the city since July.

Defence Brief: Key Insights from the Week        

• Tech leaders and MoD Minister Maria Eagle tackle UK defence innovation (Politico)
• Battle for the seabed: defence groups take aim at underwater security (Financial Times)
• Defence industry buoyed by £10bn warship export deal with Norway (The Times)
• Defence chiefs hit by nearly 300 suspected security breaches every week, figures show (The Sun)
• Venture capital steps up ‘Iron Dome’ air defence investments (Financial Times)
• Pentagon unit steps up tech ties with allies to counter China (Financial Times)

Industry Latest:

• International warships set to visit DSEI 2025 in London (UK Defence Journal)
• RTX’s Raytheon and Diehl Defence sign MOU on Stinger missile co-production (Janes)
• US Army orders long-range reconnaissance drones (Calibre Defence)
• MoD turns to artificial intelligence to prevent further data breaches (The Times)
• Defence bosses handed £1m in bonuses despite equipment contract blunders (The Telegraph)
• L3Harris Technologies completes $100m facility expansion (Airforce Technology)
• Saab secures $550M Gripen E/F order for Thailand (Breaking Defense)

Direct from Government:

• Boost for UK Growth and Security as Norway Selects UK Warships in £10 billion partnership (MoD Press Release)
• Secretary of State remarks at the Pacific Future Forum: 28 August 2025 (MoD Press Release)
• Thriving Japan defence partnership boosting UK jobs and investment (MoD Press Release)

News from Further Afar:

• As the public spat on the Franco-German fighter jet FCAS continues, it was reported that the next phase in the development of the jet is being blocked by French industry, who are demanding sole leadership of the project. Days after this was revealed to the German parliament’s budget committee, Germany, France and Spain’s defence ministers announced that they will meet in October to discuss options for getting the programme back on track (Reuters)
• Also in Germany, the country’s cabinet has passed a draft bill to introduce voluntary military service, opening the door to conscription if more troops are needed (BBC)
• In a document seen by POLITICO, the UK and Canada’s entry fee to join the EU’s €150b Security Action for Europe (SAFE) scheme will depend on their estimated gains from taking part. Both countries are able to join the initiative as they have signed defence partnerships with the EU. However, to do so, they will need to pay an entry fee, which will depend on a range of factors including their GDP, size and competitiveness of their defence industries, and their cooperation with Europe’s defence industry (Politico)
• Meanwhile, it was later revealed that the €150b fund is set to be spent in full after 19 EU member states requested funding. The European Commission will now assess the individual bids and take decisions on how to best divide the multi-billion euro fund (Financial Times)
• Across the Atlantic in the US, the Trump administration is reported to be considering taking stakes in defence contractors, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Palantir Technologies, in the latest move of the administration’s interventions in the private sector (Reuters)
• President Trump has also stated that he wants to rename the Department of Defense to the Department of War. Trump’s justification was that the Department of War – which was dropped in 1947 – sounded “stronger” (The Times)

CMS Podcast of the Week:

Halldale Group | DSEI 2025 Preview: How AI Collaboration Is Transforming Defence Training

Coming Up This Week:

The House of Commons returns from summer recess on Monday, amid reports that Starmer will be launching a shakeup of the No 10 team, where changes are expected to include a new economic adviser ahead of the upcoming autumn Budget. While a wider reshuffle of junior ministerial ranks is also expected, it is unclear whether this will happen this week or the following.

Image: AS1 Sam Dale and is under UK MOD © Crown copyright 2025

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