13 counties set to gain jobs and cash from new 'game-changing' British effort

Britain is set to mass-manufacture explosives for the first time in a generation as the government faces fresh calls to end its reliance on the US military . The Ministry of Defence has identified at least 13 sites across the UK for potential munitions and "energetics" factories.

According to The Times these factories will produce high explosives, rocket propellants, and ignition systems at scale for use on the front line. The defence secretary John Healey is expected to announce the plan to create an "always on" munitions pipeline in a speech in Westminster on Wednesday morning, reports Reuters.

Details of the move were shared on the same day that parliament's defence committee warned about the UK's inability to defend itself from attack due to years of underinvestment in defence and its dependence on US firepower, hardware, and intelligence.

In a report, the cross-party group of MPs called on the government to rapidly replace American military systems used by British forces. They said it was "highly likely" that the US will withdraw personnel and equipment from Europe due to the "shifting priorities" of President Trump, which would leave Nato allies "vulnerable."

Healey is expected to say on Wednesday that the munitions facilities will boost Britain's preparedness for war and ensure no return to the "hollowed out and underfunded" military of the past. The defence industry has been invited to submit proposals to produce the explosives, which include military pyrotechnics, at what Healey describes as "the factories of the future."

According to the Ministry of Defence, construction of the first of the sites is expected to begin next year, and they will bolster British and Ukrainian arsenals. Winning defence firms will have to adhere to specific government requirements and be asked to produce nine energetic materials, which rapidly release high amounts of chemical energy, that have been identified as key for UK resilience.

The 13 counties that could be home to the facilities include Cumbria, Dumfriesshire, Ayrshire, Shropshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Essex, Worcestershire, Hampshire, Pembrokeshire and Stirlingshire.

In his announcement, Healey will say: "For too long our proud industrial heartlands saw jobs go away and not come back... This is a fundamental shift from the failed approach of the past."

The Times revealed in April that Britain will dramatically increase its ability to produce RDX explosives, used in 155mm rounds for British Army guns and other weapons. Shipping containers are being erected at defence facilities across the UK, so it no longer needs to rely on the US and France for the Nato-standard artillery ammunition.

BAE Systems, the UK defence company, was also looking to build three new sites to add "resilience" to the project, in case one site comes under attack.

However, the Commons defence committee has warned about more than munitions in its report. According to the group, an expected drawdown of US support for Nato allies could create critical capability gaps in intelligence, satellite surveillance, troop transportation, and target acquisition.

Tan Dhesi, the chairman of the defence committee, said that amid growing Russian aggression, Britain and its Nato allies have "continued to bank on protection from the US and under-invest in its own defence."