The UK’s commandos will be promised £500 million as part of changes to the long-delayed defence investment plan.
High-speed boats and strike drones will be committed to the elite force, with a focus on the High North – which includes the Arctic Circle and nearby areas – in the face of rising Russian activity in the region.
Officials say Dan Jarvis has “shifted” the focus of spending in the defence investment plan (Dip) since he became Defence Secretary earlier this month towards providing kit to troops on the front line.
He is also understood to have secured around £1 billion extra for the plan in negotiations with the Treasury, on top of the £13.5 billion offer that prompted his predecessor John Healey to resign.
Warfighting readiness and integrated autonomy – including equipment like drones, uncrewed vessels and land vehicles – are expected to be the two key priorities in the “refreshed” version of the blueprint for future-proofing the armed forces.
Officials say the funding will partly go towards new high-speed commando insertion craft – special vessels used to covertly transport troops from the rapid-response force – which could be used for operations including the seizure of Russian shadow fleet vessels.
It comes after Royal Marine commandos helped intercept the tanker Smyrtos in the Channel early on Sunday in the first UK-led operation to capture a sanctioned ship earlier this month.
Meanwhile, around £100 million will be committed to new technologies, including uncrewed vessels, “next-generation communications” and strike drones, they said.
The Dip was originally due last year, but has been held back amid wrangling within Government over the amount of money required to finance the military.
Mr Healey quit his Cabinet post earlier this month because the blueprint was only due to provide £13.5 billion extra investment, which he said fell “well short” of what was needed.
The Ministry of Defence said the plan will see the UK work with Norway, a Nato ally with which Britain has partnered amid increased Russian submarine activity in the High North.
Read More
The Defence Secretary told the Press Association on Saturday that “real progress” had been made in recent days, but work was ongoing to “get it right” ahead of its expected publication before July 7.
“I’ve been working very hard since I was appointed to satisfy myself that we’ve got the right resource and the right mix of capabilities,” he said.
“I have a responsibility to make sure I get it right and that is what I’m working to achieve.”
Outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to press ahead with publishing the Dip before the July 7 Nato summit, despite major policy and spending commitments being paused across Government more widely in preparation for the transition of power in the coming weeks.
The move could potentially cause friction with his likely successor, Andy Burnham, who may want to have the final say on future funding for the military.
Mr Jarvis said plans to prioritise the commandos would help give them “the equipment they need to stay ahead of our adversaries and defend us.”
“The defence investment plan will prioritise getting the latest kit into the hands of our frontline forces, so they can continue their vital work in an increasingly dangerous world,” he added.
“He was an exceptional mayor of Greater Manchester and I think he will be an excellent prime minister. He understands the importance of national security and making sure that we’ve got the right amount of resource to invest in our armed forces,” he said.
“That is a process that is absolutely under way, but it is on the back of a commitment already to historic levels of defence funding.
“Yes, we want to do more, and the Dip will deliver that, and, yes, we want to go further, the other side of the Dip.
“That is well understood by Andy Burnham. It’s well understood by the current Prime Minister. It’s my job to deliver for defence and that’s what I’m working hard to do.”