On July 18, 2023, the UK Ministry of Defence published the Defence Command Paper Refresh (DCP 2023), which identified quantum technologies among five critical technology priorities for defence investment. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the House of Commons that the MoD was investing beyond the previously announced £6.6 billion for advanced research and development, citing quantum and AI as technologies “proving themselves vital on the battlefields of Ukraine,” according to Forces News reporting.
DCP 2023 aligned the MoD’s science and technology programmes with the five critical technologies identified by the National Science and Technology Council: artificial intelligence, engineering biology, future telecommunications, semiconductors, and quantum technologies. The paper placed science, innovation, and technology at the center of force design and capability development.
The MoD continued as a key partner in the National Quantum Technologies Programme, funding several Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) programmes including a £30 million Future Sensing programme for quantum sensors being trialled on MoD platforms.