Locate and destroy: More than £1bn to be spent on battlefield targeting system
More than £1bn is being invested in a pioneering battlefield system for the Armed Forces, the Government has announced.
The system will help the Armed Forces pinpoint and destroy enemy targets faster than ever before.
A new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command will also be created to put the UK at the forefront of cyber operations as part of the upcoming Strategic Defence Review (SDR).
Defence Secretary John Healey unveiled the policies during a visit to MOD Corsham, the UK military's cyber headquarters.
Mr Healey said: "Ways of warfare are rapidly changing – with the UK facing daily cyber attacks on this new frontline.
"The hard-fought lessons from Putin's illegal war in Ukraine leave us under no illusions that future conflicts will be won through forces that are better connected, better equipped and innovating faster than their adversaries."
The Ministry of Defence will develop a new digital targeting web to connect Armed Forces weapons systems more effectively.
This digital capability will give the UK a decisive advantage through greater integration across domains, new AI and software, and better communication between the three services.
For example, a ship's sensor could identify a threat before being disabled by an F-35 aircraft, drone or offensive cyber operation.
"We will give our Armed Forces the ability to act at speeds never seen before - connecting ships, aircraft, tanks and operators so they can share vital information instantly and strike further and faster," Mr Healey added.
These latest policies show that the UK is learning lessons directly from Ukraine's frontline, the MOD has said.
The Ukrainians achieved an increase in lethality early in the war by locating the enemy, targeting them and then attacking them swiftly and at scale, meaning Kyiv could stop Moscow's advance.
The SDR's publication is expected imminently, and the review will show that cyber attacks threaten the economy and daily life.
The MOD is scheduled to deliver the digital targeting web in 2027.
What is the new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command?
General Sir Jim Hockenhull will lead the new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command.
The command was established after the MOD had to protect UK military networks against more than 90,000 'sub-threshold' attacks in the last two years.
It will organise defensive cyber operations and coordinate offensive cyber capabilities with the National Cyber Force.
The new command will also harness all the Armed Forces' expertise in electromagnetic warfare, helping them to seize and hold the initiative in a high-tempo race for military advantage, for example, through degrading command and control, jamming signals to drones and missiles and intercepting an adversary's communications.
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