Campbell Gibson
Senior Advisor, External Relations, London +44 7825 074315
Responding to the review, David Clark, AtkinsRéalis Market Director - Defence & Aerospace, UK & Ireland, said:
"Bolstering national security will deliver both resilience and economic growth, leveraging and strengthening the UK’s world-class defence supply chain. We welcome how the Defence Industrial Strategy is focused on modernising the defence estate, reforming procurement, and unlocking regional prosperity. This investment will create commercial opportunities for infrastructure specialists, particularly those with multi-disciplinary expertise in secure facilities and complex programme delivery.
"Cross-government coordination will be essential for delivery of the industrial strategy. Central and local government will need to align around common goals and consistently measure regional prosperity. Local authorities will be critical in enabling supporting infrastructure, such as housing, transport and education to ensure these ‘high-growth-potential frontier industry clusters’ are viable and sustainable.
"One of the most compelling opportunities lies in Plymouth, named one of high growth potential industry areas, with MOD’s £4.4 billion investment into HM Naval Base Devonport and Babcock’s Royal Dockyard. AtkinsRéalis has supported Babcock International at Devonport since 2010 with a range of expertise including civil, structural, mechanical and nuclear. More than 800 of our professionals contributed to major dock and facility upgrades in 2024. Examples of our work include seismic strengthening, crane upgrades, nuclear safety cases, and infrastructure revalidations across multiple docks and basins, part of a broader portfolio of engineering support delivered in a highly regulated, complex defence environment.
"Like Team Barrow, Plymouth will benefit from wider investment in supporting sectors such as energy, transport, housing and education. These regional growth zones represent a long-term opportunity to build local capability and resilience.
"Although defence’s demand could stretch the UK civils sector, the problem is more a productivity challenge than a workforce challenge. The Construction Leadership Council found that productivity in construction could be boosted by up to 25% through better preparation of projects, maximising modern methods of construction (MMC), and supporting more productive business practices. Defence must embrace these approaches, alongside digital delivery and integrated design, to unlock capacity and improve outcomes. Collaborative contracting models in other infrastructure sectors, such as Project 13, offer a blueprint for how defence can deliver more efficiently and with greater certainty. Defence reform, for example the formation of the Chief of Defence Nuclear and National Armaments Director, signals an encouraging shift toward integrated delivery coordination.
"Looking ahead, the Defence Investment Plan will be key to giving industry greater sight of which programmes are funded and when. This will allow firms to plan, invest and mobilise with confidence, ensuring defence remains not only an engine for growth, but a catalyst for innovation and national resilience."
The comments were reported in New Civil Engineer.
About AtkinsRéalis
AtkinsRéalis is a strategic supplier to the UK defence market, having worked with defence organisations for decades to support the delivery of major programmes across land, maritime, air and joint environments. Through the Engineering Delivery Partnership for Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), AtkinsRéalis provides essential engineering support for the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force. The company’s expertise ranges engineering, complex infrastructure, nuclear, advanced digital technologies and major programme delivery, with its portfolio including supporting infrastructure upgrades at Devonport Royal Dockyard and advising on the design of the next generation of combat training jets.