New defence review promises battlefield AI, cyber force and digital targeting in £1bn tech push.

The Ministry of Defence will invest more than £1bn in battlefield technology as part of a landmark strategic defence review, aimed at transforming how British forces fight future wars.

Defence Secretary John Healey announced the spending as he visited the UK’s cyber headquarters in Corsham, Wiltshire. The money will fund cutting-edge systems including a new Digital Targeting Web that fuses real-time data from satellites, drones and aircraft to speed up decisions on the battlefield. The tech will help soldiers strike enemy targets faster, drawing directly on lessons from the war in Ukraine.

“This is about moving faster, hitting harder and staying one step ahead,” said Healey. “The keyboard is now a weapon of war, and Britain must be NATO’s fastest innovator.”

The Digital Targeting Web will harness artificial intelligence and advanced software to connect troops on the ground to live threat data. Ukraine has already deployed similar AI tools to deadly effect, dramatically reducing the time between spotting Russian forces and launching attacks. Britain’s system aims to go even further, merging battlefield intelligence into one digital ecosystem.

The strategic review, commissioned by the incoming Labour government shortly after last year’s general election, is the first of its kind and marks a fundamental shift in military thinking. Full details will be published on Monday.

At Corsham, the heart of the UK’s cyber warfare programme, officials revealed the scale of the threats Britain now faces. Over the past two years, UK defence systems have been targeted by more than 90,000 cyber-attacks. These include recent malware attempts sent to troops returning from overseas deployments, with one traced back to a known Russian actor.

“Cyber warfare is no longer a future threat – it’s now,” said one MoD official. “Russia and China are constantly testing our systems.”

Healey confirmed that UK cyber units are not just defending against attacks but actively carrying out their own offensive cyber operations. As part of the review, a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command will be created to oversee both cyber and electronic warfare. The Command will be responsible for everything from jamming enemy drones to intercepting communications.

The funding comes in the context of a broader defence pledge: the government is committed to increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027, with ambitions to reach 3% in the following Parliament. This, the MoD insists, is what has made the £1bn tech investment possible.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that some of the funding would be sourced from cuts to the foreign aid budget – a move that sparked political controversy but won praise from NATO hardliners.

Despite this significant increase, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is urging allies to go further. He wants members to exceed 3.5% of GDP in defence spending to meet the growing threats from authoritarian regimes.

Healey, however, insists Britain is now leading from the front. “This is a historic commitment,” he said. “It’s about making sure our forces are the best-equipped, best-connected and best-protected in the world.”

As the global nature of warfare changes, Britain is placing its bet on AI, cyber dominance and digital integration – a gamble that may define the country’s military edge in decades to come.