Defence secretary says AI will have a bigger role in UK armed forces
Exclusive: John Healey says new defence review will make Britain’s military a leader in Nato innovation
The Defence Secretary, John Healey, said Britain’s military will use more artificial intelligence (AI) in the future. He is about to announce a review focused on new technology.
Healey said he and his team made AI the main part of the review to avoid past mistakes with expensive military purchases.
Speaking to the Guardian during visits to Berlin and Rome, Healey said, “In five years, AI will have a big effect on the military and the battlefield. We already see this in Ukraine and in many other areas of life.
“We need to do much more in defence to stay ahead. I want the UK military to be the most advanced in Nato when it comes to AI.”
Healey will announce the review soon, after nearly a year of work by former defence leaders George Robertson and Gen Sir Richard Barrons.
Although some reports said big buying decisions would wait until after the review, Healey said they are making decisions now and will keep doing so. “This will not be a letdown,” he said.
In February, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK will increase defence spending to 2.5% of its economy by 2027.
The British defence industry may also benefit from closer cooperation with Europe. A new UK-EU trade deal allows UK companies to access a large European defence fund worth €150 billion (£126 billion).
Healey might disappoint some who hoped the review would promise big spending on impressive projects, like a British “iron dome” missile defence system.
One source said such a system could be too expensive for protecting the UK, and it might be better to focus on stopping threats before they reach Britain.
Healey said he wants the Ministry of Defence to stop making buying decisions that cost billions and take many years. By the time the equipment arrives, it is often already old and outdated.
For example, the army got its first Ajax tanks this year, but the decision to buy them was made 15 years ago. The tanks were supposed to arrive 8 years earlier.
Healey said what the UK learned from the war in Ukraine shows it’s important to make buying decisions faster and focus on technology.
He said, “In Ukraine, about 80% of the injuries are caused by drones, not artillery. For the first time, battlefield technology changes in weeks, not months or years.
We need to get more technology to soldiers quickly. We also need to be able to improve and invent new technology fast during war, so our forces have an advantage.”
A big part of Healey’s plan is to use more AI (artificial intelligence). The British military is already testing AI tools in places like Estonia. These tools can find threats automatically and decide which weapon is best to use.
Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, said before that the government would use 10% of the military’s equipment money to buy new technology like drones and AI. Healey told the Guardian that he wants to put money from different parts of the department into one fund to spend on AI and new systems.
Focusing on AI will probably help companies like Palantir, which is one of the biggest military technology companies in the world.
Palantir has sold its automatic targeting systems to many countries, including to the Israeli army for use in Gaza. Earlier this year, Palantir’s leaders showed Starmer around their main office in Washington. People say Palantir wants to sell more technology to the British military.
Some people worry about how Palantir uses data and about its founder Peter Thiel, who supports Trump. But Healey strongly supports the company.
He said, “Palantir is helping Ukraine fight Russia. They have good new ideas to help our armed forces when they work with us. And when they work for us, we control the standards.”
People said Healey wants to get new technology to soldiers faster, even if it is not perfect yet.
One person said, “Part of this is about giving equipment to troops and then changing it when we see what works and what doesn’t.”
AI was so important to the defence review that it even helped to write it. Officials used an automatic reading tool to look at and summarize over 8,000 responses from outside groups, with more than 2 million words.
Published: 21th May 2025
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