Statement from Cohort Chief Executive on the announcement of the UK's Defence Investment Plan
Published 30th June 2026
Cohort Chief Executive Andy Thomis provides his comments on today's announcement by the prime minister of the UK’s Defence Investment Plan:
“The Defence Investment Plan gives welcome direction and certainty. The existence of the Plan and a clear set of priorities with funding will, we hope, bring the unpredictable delays and pauses on existing projects to an end.
“From Cohort’s perspective, we are encouraged by the emphasis on the hybrid navy and Atlantic Bastion, as well as seabed warfare and protection of underwater infrastructure. The commitment to funding for the development of weapon and sensor payloads for uncrewed vessels under AUKUS Pillar 2 is also welcome.
“The new export facility announced today is good news and will support growth and employment within the UK defence industry. It’s important that the £50 billion funding is not used solely for large headline contracts and is made available to support mid-sized companies that can adapt, innovate and scale at pace.
“The detail and timeline of the Plan will underpin the UK’s defence, but it will be delivered on a much slower trajectory than the Strategic Defence Review set out. This may not be fast enough to deal with real and gathering threats that we see today. Our European allies are increasing their defence spending at pace, evidenced by the rapid rate of growth we see in our non-UK revenue.
“To maintain peace and stability in Europe, the UK needs to deter potential threats proactively before they escalate. The Defence Investment Plan is a first step toward this. It provides the foundation for the next Prime Minister to build on to deliver the ambition set out by the Strategic Defence Review.”
Please attribute all quotes above to Andrew Thomis, Chief Executive of Cohort plc.
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