"It's quite ironic that in 2022, it was the UK that trained the Ukrainian military, and now we have to learn from Ukraine," said a British defense scholar with a sense of helplessness.
According to a report by the European edition of 'Politico News Network' on June 29, the UK is drawing on Ukraine's experience in its war against Russia and plans to implement one of the largest military reforms in decades. The aim is to reshape the country's armed forces in preparation for similar conflicts that may occur over the next decade.
British Prime Minister Sturmer will unveil the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) on June 30 local time, which is also one of his final initiatives before leaving office.
This plan indicates that the UK is replicating Ukraine’s successful combat strategies, focusing on ‘destroying high-value targets with low-cost systems, and advancing innovation over periods of several years rather than months’. The UK Ministry of Defence stated on the 29th that this will become an important direction for future military construction.
Analyses suggest that over the past decades, Britain’s military strength has largely relied on its naval advantage. Large, high-value vessels, including aircraft carriers and submarines capable of launching nuclear missiles, have always been important strategic assets for Britain in both peacetime and wartime.
However, the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict has completely changed Europe’s traditional defense model. This conflict has exposed the vulnerability of expensive weapon systems, highlighted the importance of a large number of inexpensive drones and ammunition, and accelerated the development of autonomous combat systems, artificial intelligence for target identification, and rapid battlefield innovations.
June 4, 2026, Donetsk region. Soldiers of the 93rd Independent Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian army are preparing BM-21 rocket launchers. IC Photo
One of the most notable aspects of the Defence Investment Plan is the announcement that no additional funding will be provided for projects involving up to 8 Type 83 missile destroyers and 32 Type 32 frigates. These two projects were intended to be important components of the UK’s plans to re-establish the Royal Navy in the 2030s.
Instead, the UK will invest in the construction of at least 6 new ‘universal combat ships’. These ships will serve as command platforms for various unmanned combat systems, including the Type 93 unmanned anti-submarine vessel, the Type 91 unmanned support ship, and the Type 92 and Type 94 unmanned sensor platforms used for aerial and maritime reconnaissance.
This adjustment is particularly noteworthy, as Ukraine, despite having no formal navy, managed to severely damage Russia’s Black Sea Fleet using a combination of maritime unmanned boats, aerial drones, and missiles.
The unmanned transformation also extends to the Royal Air Force. British officials revealed on the evening of the 29th that they will invest in the development of a "National Collaborative Avionics Program," aiming to create autonomous fighter jets that can operate in conjunction with manned fighter aircraft. This is also part of the joint efforts by Britain, Italy, and Japan to develop sixth-generation fighters as part of the "Global Combat Aviation Program" (GCAP).
Senior researcher Tim Willasey-Wilsey from the Royal United Services Institution (RUSI) said that as a global trading nation, the UK still needs to maintain a strong navy. However, in the future, it should reduce its reliance on large-scale projects, making the military 'more agile and more lethal'.
However, industry insiders say that although the delayed ‘Defense Investment Plan’ responds to the long-standing demands of allies and the UK military industry, whether the plan can be implemented will depend on Andy Burnham, who is expected to take over as Prime Minister later this summer.
According to the plan, by 2035, the UK will be moving towards the target set by NATO, which is to have defense spending constitute 3.5% of GDP. However, compared to allies such as Germany, France, and Poland, the UK's military expenditure growth remains relatively slow, and the government has not yet proposed any clear financial arrangements to achieve this goal.
According to the British 'Financial Times', the new plan will add approximately 15 billion pounds to the originally scheduled 27 billion pounds defense budget during this parliamentary term.
This includes a £5 billion drone transformation program that the government has announced. The British Ministry of Defence notes that Ukraine currently uses about 200,000 drones per month, which is exactly the direction that Britain should follow in the future.
British technology company Hadean's Vice President, Ross Exley, stated: "Military technology on the battlefield is changing at an astonishing rate. The clear lesson learned from the Ukrainian war is that drones have changed the nature of warfare."
According to the Defense Investment Plan, the UK will also build Europe’s largest drone testing center and establish a new task force to continuously expand the production of drones, ensuring a continuous supply of drones for the British military.
"It's quite ironic that in 2022, it was the UK that trained the Ukrainian army, and now we have to learn from Ukraine. They are showing us how wars should be fought today."
Willacy-Willsi said, “We can’t fight such wars. If we were faced with such wars, we wouldn’t be able to endure it for even a few weeks.”
