A three-percent defence budget built around deployable naval forces

How would you use a British defence budget equal to three percent of GDP?

Add aviation-capable LHDs, aircraft, escorts, Marines, and maritime patrol capacity while investing patiently in submarine construction and broader joint-force readiness.

Naval expansion centers on three ski-jump LHDs able to support the Queen Elizabeth class, backed by more F-35Bs, escorts, Royal Marines, and maritime patrol assets. Sharing STOVL aircraft across five compatible flight decks would make it easier to keep two aviation ships available after maintenance or battle damage. At maximum deployment, the example assigns 24 F-35Bs to each carrier and 12 to each LHD, for 84 embarked aircraft. A total fleet of about 120 would support ordinary deployments and occasional larger surges without committing every aircraft. An Italian LHD could supply the baseline design, with British weapons handling and other service-specific systems fitted during adaptation. Submarine capacity would take longer because shipyards and skilled workforces must be expanded before extra boats can be delivered.