In brief
At the NATO summit in Ankara, twelve member states pledged more than £37bn over ten years for the Deep Precision Strike missile programme, a high‑accuracy long‑range weapon. The UK, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, highlighted the system’s 200‑mile precision hit and potential reach of 1,250 miles as a deterrent to Russian aggression. The initiative, part of the UK’s £300bn Defence Investment Plan, is expected to enter service in the 2030s and marks a stronger European commitment to NATO defence spending. While the US calls for increased alliance defence contributions, Britain stresses the need for a united, European‑centric security posture amid escalating tensions with Russia.
NATO Allies Commit £37bn to New Long‑Range Missile Programme
At the NATO summit in Ankara, twelve member states announced they would invest more than £37bn over the next decade in the Deep Precision Strike project, a high‑accuracy missile designed to counter Russian threats.
The initiative, unveiled by UK ministers Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper, promises a system capable of striking targets 200 miles away with pinpoint precision and extending up to 1,250 miles if desired. It is slated for service in the 2030s, complementing the UK’s £300bn Defence Investment Plan and bolstering a European‑centric NATO defence posture.
Starmer’s final NATO summit as prime minister is expected to highlight Russia’s growing threat, citing that the UK has dispatched fighter jets to intercept Russian aircraft more than 700 times and that Russian forces near UK waters have increased activity by 30%. The missile programme is framed as a key element of that deterrent strategy.
American officials, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, warn that NATO members must raise defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, while the UK stresses the need for a stronger, more European NATO to safeguard its allies.
In addition, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky urged NATO allies to provide urgently needed air‑defence systems, underscoring the crucial role of long‑range strikes against Russian forces.
