As autonomous warfare spending edges towards a quarter of the MoD’s budget, it makes sense to appoint a dedicated minister for drones, writes Michael Martins in today’s Notebook

A minister for drones is essential for modern warfare

It takes little time in defence circles to see that autonomous warfare is where the growth and investment is. The logic is simple: when machines can assume the risks once borne by soldiers, few politicians or generals will choose to risk human lives.

Public spending has already followed suit. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK has committed nearly £10bn, roughly one-fifth of the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) annual budget, to drone and counter-drone capabilities. With Russian drones now routinely testing NATO’s sea and airspace, spending will inevitably rise in both offensive systems and in the layered defences needed to stop them.

As autonomous warfare spending edges towards a quarter, or even a third, of the MoD’s budget, it makes little sense for responsibility to remain scattered across ministerial portfolios. The Prime Minister should therefore appoint a dedicated minister for autonomous warfare. Such a post would recognise both the strategic importance and the industrial scale of this new domain, while bringing coherence, accountability and ministerial advocacy to a sector that many politicians still do not treat seriously. It would also create a ministerial champion to defend long-term, domestic investment from the Treasury........

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