The UK’s new defense secretary, Dan Jarvis, warned industry and military leaders there are “significant challenges ahead” a day after his predecessor quit in a clash with the Treasury over spending.
In a speech on Friday morning designed to restore confidence in Britain’s military, he said the government’s 10-year investment plan remains in limbo.
“At the heart of this is our partnership with industry, and that really matters as we finalize our defense investment plan,” he said, according to a recording of the closed-door speech reviewed by Bloomberg. “There are significant challenges ahead but there is also great opportunity.”
He promised to strengthen Britain’s defense industrial base by “backing that ambition with investment.”
The plan and dozens of contracts for major defense programs remain uncertain after John Healey quit on Thursday over what he described as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s inability to deliver the cash needed to protect Britain and its allies from rising global threats.
Shortly after Jarvis’ speech, the BBC aired an interview with Starmer in which the PM insisted he would not let the fallout over defense spending — the latest to engulf the government — push him out of Downing Street.
Read More: Starmer Vows to Fight On After Defense Chief’s Resignation ·
Jarvis, appointed late on Thursday, delivered his speech in Swindon, England at the launch of what he described as Europe’s biggest drone testing and development site — larger than 10 football pitches. It will be the focal point for the development of the UK’s next generation of uncrewed systems, he said, enabling Britain to field new technology in a matter of days and weeks.
He joked that it’s been “a fairly busy few hours” and thanked the industry and military for their commitment to Britain. Still, two people present told Bloomberg they were disappointed by the event, with one likening the facility to a giant empty shed. Another said the government left it to military leaders to privately reassure industry of its commitment to defense.
Jarvis also spoke of the changing nature of warfare in both Ukraine and the Middle East.
“This is not the future of warfare, this is warfare now, today,” he said. “For the UK to stay ahead of our adversaries, we must embrace this technology.”