A UK parliamentary spending committee has concluded that delays in publishing the government's Defence Investment Plan have damaged the country's credibility with its allies and driven up the cost of military procurement.
The Public Accounts Committee released its findings this week, according to BBC News. The Defence Investment Plan, known as the DIP, was originally due to be published in the autumn. It is now expected to be released ahead of a NATO summit early next month.
The committee found that the delay has been "due to the lack of a decision from the MoD as to which capabilities, infrastructure and people it requires to transform the Armed Forces to be warfighting-ready." It said defence contractors were raising prices because of global instability, meaning delays to procurement could end up costing more. The PAC said this was "hindering the government's attempt to modernise the Armed Forces."
PAC chair Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP said the nation had "now in fact gone years without a credible plan for UK military capability." He added: "Those responsible may argue there are good reasons for the DIP's continuing absence, but our report makes clear that excuses to the effect of 'taking the time to get the details right' simply do not cut it."
Defence Secretary John Healey told the House of Commons on Monday that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was "determined to publish" the plan. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the DIP would "fix the outdated, overcommitted and underfunded programme we inherited," adding: "We are working hard to finalise it." The spokesman also noted that since coming to power in July 2024, the government had signed more than 1,400 major defence contracts.
The DIP is intended to explain how new equipment and defence infrastructure will be funded over the coming decade. It follows the wide-ranging Strategic Defence Review published on June 2, 2025.
The PAC report also raised concerns about the Ajax armoured vehicle. In November 2025, the army had to pause use of the vehicles after soldiers became unwell from noise and vibration problems, with some vomiting after leaving the vehicle. The report found that a total of 33 soldiers had been affected, with five still under medical review as of March.
The committee said the Ministry of Defence now expected soldiers to conduct maintenance checks every time they stopped the vehicles. It called that expectation "unreasonable" given that soldiers might need to operate the vehicles for long periods during combat.
The DIP's release remains tied to the upcoming NATO summit timeline, with no specific publication date confirmed as of this weekend.
