NATO is making one of its biggest defence investments in years, with 12 allied nations committing more than £37 billion to develop a next-generation long-range missile system aimed at strengthening Europe’s military capabilities against growing security threats.
The new Deep Precision Strike initiative, announced by Downing Street ahead of Wednesday’s NATO summit in Ankara, will see participating allies invest over £37 billion ($50 billion) during the next decade to develop one of the alliance’s most advanced conventional weapons systems.
The UK-led programme is designed to strike targets with pinpoint accuracy at distances of up to 300 kilometres, with future versions expected to reach approximately 1,250 miles, significantly boosting NATO’s long-range strike capability.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the initiative as a major step toward strengthening Europe’s collective security.
“This UK-led initiative will help bring European allies together to keep NATO safe for years to come,” Starmer said.
The announcement comes as defence spending and European security dominate discussions at the NATO summit. Starmer is also expected to face renewed calls from US President Donald Trump for Britain to outline a timetable for increasing defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2035, a target supported by most NATO members.
According to the British government, the missile programme will improve NATO’s ability to destroy high-value military targets and disrupt enemy logistics far behind the front lines, enhancing the alliance’s deterrence against potential adversaries.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the project reflects the changing global security landscape and the need for a stronger European contribution within NATO.
“This is about how we make sure we have a stronger Europe within a stronger NATO,” she said, adding that the new capability would significantly improve the alliance’s military readiness.
Britain has already committed £300 billion under its Defence Investment Plan through 2030, although officials say the Deep Precision Strike system is unlikely to become fully operational until the 2030s.
At the summit, Starmer is expected to warn that Russia remains the greatest long-term threat to European security. Downing Street noted that NATO fighter jets have intercepted Russian aircraft approaching allied airspace more than 700 times, while Russian military activity around UK waters has increased by 30 per cent.
The missile programme also draws heavily on lessons from the war in Ukraine, where long-range missiles and drones have proved critical in striking military infrastructure deep behind enemy lines.
Russia dismissed the announcement, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying Moscow would closely monitor the outcome of the NATO summit while maintaining that additional Western weapons would not alter Russia’s military objectives.
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