International property and construction consultancy Gleeds has partnered with strategic business network the D Group to launch a new report setting out the structural, financial and cultural changes required to ensure the UK’s defence infrastructure is fit for an increasingly volatile global environment.
‘Building defence for the long term’ asserts that achieving the ambitions of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) will depend not only on policy direction, but on the UK’s ability to translate intent into delivery at pace. It calls for a fundamental shift in how defence infrastructure is planned, funded and delivered, moving towards a more sustained, system-wide approach.
The report builds on insights gathered during a senior roundtable hosted by Gleeds and the D Group which was attended by Alex Baker MP and representatives from across the defence sector. This discussion was followed by a series of in-depth interviews with industry leaders, further exploring barriers to progress and identifying practical solutions.
At its core, Building defence for the long term highlights the need to address the challenges of affordability, productivity and the current lack of alignment between government and industry. Together, it says these factors risk constraining the UK’s ability to build and maintain critical defence capability at the required pace.
The report sets out a series of recommendations to address these issues and support long-term readiness, including recognising defence infrastructure as part of the UK’s critical infrastructure framework; adopting standardised delivery models; strengthening long term demand signals to enable investment in skills and capacity; improving coordination between government and industry; and embedding infrastructure resilience as a key component of warfighting readiness.
Commenting on the report, Suzanne Tearle, Head of Defence at Gleeds, said: “Delivering defence capability at pace requires more than just ambition, it demands a step change in how we approach infrastructure, investment and collaboration. Our paper shows that the barriers to progress are not just financial and technical, but structural and cultural – we offer many recommendations where industry can play its part. By aligning the government and industry’s long-term priorities, standardising delivery and creating clearer demand signals, we can unlock the capacity and capability needed to support the UK’s defence infrastructure objectives.”
Post written by: Vicky Maggiani
Vicky has worked in media for over 25 years and has a wealth of experience in editing and creating copy for a variety of sectors.
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