Ministers used the International Sea Power Conference in London on 8 December to join strategy, procurement and regional industry into a single message: the Royal Navy will move at pace towards a hybrid force backed by clearer industrial planning. Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, outlined the approach and signalled that Atlantic Bastion, the Navy’s new undersea security construct, is moving from concept to delivery.
Officials describe a more contested North Atlantic. Defence Intelligence has flagged increased Russian underwater activity, including repeated movements by Yantar near UK waters. The First Sea Lord said Russian incursions around the UK have risen by roughly 30% in two years and warned that allied advantage in the Atlantic must be reinforced.
Atlantic Bastion will connect autonomous underwater gliders, uncrewed surface craft, submarines, frigates and P‑8A patrol aircraft through AI‑enabled acoustic processing and a digital targeting web. Early work-branded Atlantic Net-will provide ISR data as a service under a contractor‑owned, contractor‑operated model before wider integration with crewed platforms. The Navy records £14m of joint seed funding this year with 20 companies already demonstrating technologies; Pollard said 20 phase‑one contracts worth £4m are being placed now, with up to £35m to follow within 12 months and initial sensors in the water in 2026.
The shift from interoperability to practical interchangeability is being tested at scale. HMS Prince of Wales’ carrier strike group was declared at Full Operating Capability under NATO command off Naples on 17 November after joint exercises with European partners; the group then completed Neptune Strike and returned home at the end of November, with HMS Richmond back to Devonport.
Policy alignment runs through two core documents. The Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June, sets a NATO‑first posture and a transition to warfighting readiness. The Defence Industrial Strategy 2025 promises faster contracting, spiral development and export support, alongside five Defence Growth Deals backed by £250m and a new skills package led by five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges.
Place‑based delivery is already visible. In Plymouth-now a designated Defence Growth Area-Helsing has opened a ‘Resilience Factory’ to build SG‑1 Fathom autonomous gliders and scale maritime AI, part of a £350m UK commitment. The facility will build and test in the South West and at BUTEC in Scotland, supporting near‑term Atlantic Bastion trials.
Logistics for carrier operations are advancing. Steel was cut on 3 December for the first Fleet Solid Support ship, RFA Resurgent, with bow blocks to be built at Appledore and final assembly in Belfast. The £1.6bn programme is intended to rebuild capacity across Harland & Wolff and Navantia UK yards while modernising facilities and training pipelines.
Exports and alliance integration feature strongly. Norway’s selection of UK Type 26 frigates in a £10bn partnership is the UK’s largest warship export by value and is expected to support around 4,000 UK jobs, with a combined fleet of at least 13 ASW frigates operating together in northern European waters.
On capability, the Royal Navy has contracted £316m for DragonFire directed‑energy weapons, with the first Type 45 installation due by 2027. Trials have shown short‑notice engagements against fast drones at a claimed cost near £10 per shot, with several hundred skilled roles supported across sites in England and Scotland.
Funding signals are clearer but not yet settled. Downing Street has confirmed the 2.5% of GDP defence target from April 2027 and an ambition to reach 3% in the next Parliament. Ministers have also referenced 2.6% when including the security agencies and an aspiration to reach 3.5% for core defence by 2035; the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan is expected to set out profiles.
Delivery depends on procurement reform and a credible schedule. The Lords International Relations and Defence Committee has urged the government to place SDR ambitions on a firm financial footing. Acquisition notices for Atlantic Net indicate a contractor‑operated ISR model moving to competition, with awards envisaged around December 2025.
For operators, port authorities and utilities, the near‑term impact is practical: more persistent sensing across the GIUK gap, a NATO‑certified carrier group, and lasers arriving on destroyers from 2027. For industry, DIS 2025 sends durable demand signals in autonomy, ASW and directed energy, while Barrow’s £200m transformation fund and the Defence Growth Deals address workforce and infrastructure constraints.