Mayor urges region’s businesses to seize new defence industry opportunities

Defence has been identified as a key driver of the regional economy and both mayors have put support for the sector at the heart of their growth plans.

Now, with global military and cyber threats higher than they've been for decades, the mayors are bringing together top industry leaders so they can secure millions of pounds of new investment the government has pledged to spend with UK-based companies.

The Midlands Defence and Security Industry Council, which will host its first meeting in March, will champion Midlands manufacturers and innovators to help bolster national security and drive economic growth.

The Council - a first of its kind for the region - forms part of the Defence and Security Blueprint for the Midlands which sets out to strengthen the defence capabilities of advanced manufacturing, engineering and digital firms.

Actions include the need to upskill the workforce and establish new career pathways for graduates and apprentices, alongside targeted support to help more SMEs win government contracts or break into defence-related supply chains.

Also set to be backed by the plan are innovative businesses developing operational and strategic technologies for modern battlefields. These include cutting-edge composite materials used to create lighter and stronger equipment, next-generation cyber resilience and secure communications infrastructure.

The mayors launched the plan during a visit to Wolverhampton-based Safran, which makes mission critical flight control and actuation systems for commercial and military aircraft and employs 1,500 people.

Safran, which recently concluded a $1.8 billion investment to strengthen its UK and global presence, is one of 1,000 West and East Midlands-based companies in defence or related sectors, employing 50,000 people – 10 per cent of the UK sector’s workforce.

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Defence is of course about keeping our country and our way of life safe, but it also presents some important economic opportunities.

“Our region’s manufacturing sector already plays a vital role in national security, from the armoured vehicles and aerospace parts that we make in Birmingham and the Black Country, to our automotive expertise in Coventry and Solihull.

“This blueprint is our plan to build on the world-class skills, cutting-edge research capability and engineering know-how we have in our region. It will futureproof our economy against times of uncertainty and create real opportunities for people in every part of the Midlands.”

Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands, added: “This plan recognises that our region is not only vital to the UK’s national security, but also central to delivering high-quality jobs, investment and long-term economic growth for all our communities.

“Mayor Richard Parker and I know that by working closely with businesses, universities and government, we can help more local firms secure defence contracts, scale up new technologies and build strong supply chains rooted locally. This is about backing our people with the skills they need, creating clear pathways for apprentices and graduates, and ensuring increased defence spending benefits people in the towns and cities of the Midlands."

The government’s Defence and Security Industrial Strategy (DIS) recognises the potential of the West and East Midlands to play an even bigger role in countering global and cyber threats.

Securing new investment and jobs in the sectors is also identified as a critical economic priority in the Compact agreement signed by the two Mayors last year on behalf of the West Midlands and East Midlands combined authorities that they lead.

Together, the two regions have a £133 billion economy made up of almost 150,000 businesses, and a combined population of 5.2 million people.

Matthew Badhams, Safran Actuation’s associate director for global defence systems, said: “As the UK’s third-largest employer in civil aerospace and a key regional employer in the Midlands, we’re proud to launch the Defence and Security Blueprint for the Midlands at our Wolverhampton site, alongside partners Richard Parker and Claire Ward.

“Safran Electronics & Defense is a market leader on several of the UK’s most critical military platforms and a trusted partner to the Ministry of Defence. We are fully prepared to support the Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy and share its ambition to make defence a powerful driver of economic growth.

“This regional strategy goes beyond enhancing defence capabilities; it focuses on long-term, sustainable growth. In Wolverhampton, it is closely aligned with the Green Innovation Corridor, which brings together advanced manufacturing, clean growth, skills development, and connectivity. 

"By linking defence investment with the Green Innovation Corridor, we aim to create new career pathways for young people, strengthen high-value supply chains, and ensure the defence sector grows in a productive, resilient, and environmentally sustainable manner – benefitting Wolverhampton, the Midlands, and the UK as a whole.”