Reshaping defence infrastructure: why construction must mobilise at pace

With Russia at war in Europe and China rapidly expanding military capabilities, this infrastructure crisis has become a national security imperative.

The Review identifies critical infrastructure gaps that directly impact military readiness. Over half of defence medical facilities are more than 50 years old, accommodation standards are driving retention crises, new digital warfare requirements demand facilities that simply don't exist, and nuclear submarine production needs continuous capacity, not stop-start programmes.

Strategic Defence Review: A Blueprint for Transformation

The Strategic Defence Review commits to increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, rising to 3% in the next Parliament. This represents the largest sustained increase since the Cold War - potentially doubling infrastructure investment from current levels. Flagship programmes such as the £5.1bn Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) portfolio and £1bn Single Living Accommodation programmatic approach form the foundation of the current pipeline.

But the Review's specific commitments are creating unprecedented infrastructure opportunities:

• Over £7bn for military accommodation renewal this Parliament, including £1.5bn for urgent repairs, affecting 100,000+ service personnel and families
• Six new energetics and munitions factories across the UK
• Continuous AUKUS submarine production requiring enhanced facilities at Barrow and Raynesway
• Modernisation of the air fleet including further F35A and Typhoon jet aircraft

The shift to a 'NATO First' approach demands infrastructure that can support rapid deployment to Eastern Europe, while the push for digital integration and Secret Cloud systems create entirely new facility requirements. This level of spend requires a delivery model that is just as ambitious.

The Delivery Challenge

For the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), meeting these demands requires construction to operate more like defence itself - with mission-critical urgency, security awareness, and technological sophistication. The challenge isn't just scale - it's delivering secure, technology-enabled facilities while maintaining operational continuity on live military sites. Traditional construction timelines of 3-5 years must compress to 12-18 months for critical capabilities.

The DIO's move towards integrated, collaborative frameworks is a promising start. As I've experienced first-hand on the DEO portfolio, alliance-based approaches are helping to de-risk programmes, improve outcomes, and reduce delivery timelines.

Industry Mobilisation Requirements

However, these gains can only be realised through a visible, sustained pipeline across all central government departments. Industry needs long-term certainty to invest in productivity enablers such as offsite manufacturing and sub-assembly to deliver precision-built solutions. Without this, the supply chain will struggle to scale in line with the high-priority requirements of not only defence, but the NHS, education, and the custodial estate.

We must also address workforce capacity and capability. Construction, like defence, faces growing competition for talent. A coordinated effort is required to attract and retain a skilled workforce, not just to fill roles, but to reshape perceptions of the sector as high-tech, purpose-driven, and critical to national resilience.

Willmott Dixon's Strategic Response

At Willmott Dixon, we are aligning our business to meet these challenges head-on, underpinned with the knowledge of operational requirements and sensitivities of working in secure, live environments. Having delivered critical infrastructure projects across secure military installations, we understand the unique demands of maintaining operational continuity while delivering transformational change.

As a Gold award recipient of the Ministry of Defence's Employer Recognition Scheme, we are committed to supporting the Armed Forces community, championing pathways for service leavers and veterans. We're investing in enhanced security clearances, expanding our regional presence near key military installations, and developing specialist capabilities in digital infrastructure and rapid deployment technologies.

Ecosystem Mobilisation

Beyond individual commitment, success will require whole ecosystem mobilisation - central and local government, industry, academia, communities - working in partnership to capitalise on regional strengths and industrialise defence delivery. That means embedding collaboration, technology adoption, and workforce development as core principles in procurement and planning decisions.

With sustained investment, clarity of purpose, and a joined-up approach, we can build the infrastructure backbone that underpins national security for the decades to come. The Strategic Defence Review has provided the blueprint - now we must execute with the pace and precision that national security demands.
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Keith Yarham joined Willmott Dixon in summer 2025 as the National Sector Lead for Defence, bringing over 30 years of experience in the defence sector. He has worked extensively across secure, operational environments and is passionate about driving innovation and purpose-led delivery to meet the evolving needs of the UK's defence infrastructure.