New East of England security group unveiled near Bedford as UK looks to lift defence spending

Called the Regional Defence and Security Cluster (RDSC), it held a launch event at Lockheed Martin UK’s advanced manufacturing facility in Ampthill.

This strategic initiative – a collaboration between the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), industry, academia, local authorities and business – marks a significant milestone in strengthening the UK’s regional defence innovation landscape.

It will aims to drive innovation, foster collaboration, and stimulate economic growth across the defence and security sectors.

And serves as a catalyst for the development of cutting-edge technologies.

The news comes as Nato chief Mark Rutte gave a speech in London, warning the UK it must spend more on defence or “learn to speak Russian”.

Rt Hon Maria Eagle MP, Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, said: "Technological innovation is vital to staying ahead of our adversaries, and our commitment to actioning the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review will ensure we deliver a full range of cutting-edge capabilities to our armed forces.

"However, this work cannot be delivered alone. Collaborations between government, academia and companies of varying sizes will be at the heart of that delivery. I look forward to the work with the RDSC both to deliver for our personnel and boost regional growth."

Anita Friend, head of DASA said: “In supporting the creation of Regional Defence and Security Clusters, the MOD and my team in DASA recognised that collaboration between the established industry suppliers, SMEs and academia, supported by regional partnerships, was key to increasing the diversity in the regions to develop, exploit and commercialise advanced innovation for defence and security.”

The cluster will focus on:

Encouraging innovation through research and development

Fostering relationships and building partnerships

Facilitating knowledge transfer between academia, industry, and government

Leveraging expertise from SMEs and emerging tech firms

Providing a clear route for non-traditional suppliers to enter the defence market

Growing a talent pipeline to ensure a skilled future workforce

Strengthening supply chains and export opportunities

The Prime Minister has agreed to increase defence spending from 2.33% of GDP to 2.5% by 2027 – and to 3% in the next parliament. However, it’s rumoured Nato will force Britain to sign up to a target of 3.5% of GDP by 2035.

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