Britain’s ability to equip its armed forces for modern warfare is being undermined by a chronic delay in publishing a long-promised defence spending blueprint, according to a parliamentary watchdog. The Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which sets out how the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will fund new equipment and infrastructure over the next decade, was due in autumn 2025 but is now expected just ahead of a Nato summit in early July 2026.
The DIP follows the wide-ranging Strategic Defence Review published on 2 June 2025. It is supposed to explain how the UK will pay for everything from warships and fighter jets to barracks and training facilities. Defence Secretary John Healey told the Commons on 1 July 2025 that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was "determined to publish" the plan. Yet the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which scrutinises government spending, says the hold-up has left the nation "now in fact gone years without a credible plan for UK military capability".
“Why the delay in publishing the UK’s Defence Investment Plan matters for military readiness and credibility.”
The PAC’s chair, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, said the excuse of "taking the time to get the details right" does not cut it. According to the committee’s report, the delay is due to the MoD not having decided which capabilities, infrastructure and people it needs to transform the Armed Forces to be warfighting-ready. Delaying procurement means defence contractors, facing global instability, raise their prices, making the eventual bill higher. The committee also warned that the absence of a plan undermines the MoD’s credibility with UK allies and the defence sector, and hinders the ability to equip the military for the modern battlefield.
An MoD spokesman responded that the government has signed more than 1,400 major defence contracts since coming to power in July 2024 and is providing "a generational increase in defence spending" to avoid a return to "hollowed out armed forces". The DIP, the spokesman said, would "fix the outdated, overcommitted and underfunded programme we inherited".
The PAC report also highlighted specific failings. In November 2025, the army had to pause use of the Ajax armoured vehicle after 33 soldiers became unwell from noise and vibration issues, with some vomiting after leaving the vehicle. As of March 2026, five soldiers were still under medical review. The Ajax programme has been beset by problems for years, and the PAC found that the MoD had not learned lessons from earlier delays.
For UK readers, the stakes are real. Defence spending affects national security, the credibility of Nato commitments, and the value taxpayers get from the estimated £60 billion annual defence budget. Without a clear plan, the armed forces risk being unable to respond to emerging threats, and British industry faces uncertainty over long-term contracts.
Q: What is the Defence Investment Plan? The DIP is a government document that sets out how the UK will fund defence equipment and infrastructure over the coming ten years. It follows the Strategic Defence Review and is meant to align spending with military priorities.
Q: Why has its publication been delayed? The PAC says the MoD has not yet decided which capabilities, infrastructure and personnel it needs to transform the armed forces for modern warfare. The government argues it needs time to fix an inherited "outdated, overcommitted and underfunded" programme.
Q: What are the consequences of the delay? Delays make procurement more expensive as contractors raise prices, hinder the modernisation of the armed forces, and damage the UK’s credibility with Nato allies and the defence industry. Specific problems like the Ajax vehicle issues also persist.
What happens next? The DIP is now due to be released ahead of the Nato summit in early July 2026. The MoD says it is "working hard to finalise it", while the PAC will continue to press for urgent clarity. The government insists it has already begun reversing years of underinvestment, but the lack of a published plan remains a serious gap.