“We see you. We know what you are doing,” the Defence Secretary warned, setting out a blunt assessment of the risks facing Britain. He said the Russian vessel Yantar had skirted the edge of UK waters north of Scotland in recent weeks, tracked by a Royal Navy frigate and RAF P‑8 aircraft, and accused it of directing light lasers at British pilots.

He framed the incident as part of a wider shift to a more dangerous era: a volatile Middle East, renewed pressure on Ukraine from the Kremlin, reports of Chinese espionage targeting UK democracy, rising drone disruption over Europe, more incursions into NATO airspace and around 90,000 cyber‑attacks on Defence systems in the past year, by his account.

Against that backdrop, ministers are pitching security as the organising principle of government and say national defence will be funded for the long haul. The Defence Secretary cast the approach as hard power backed by strong alliances and steady diplomacy, with spending priorities built around that shift.

On the home front, he pointed to a pay award for service personnel described as the largest in more than two decades, a £5bn in‑year boost to Defence spending, the return of 36,000 military family homes to public ownership, and a new Strategic Defence Review billed as the deepest reform in half a century.

He said the UK is working with allies on a new deal for European security, centred on a sovereign Ukraine, a stronger and more integrated NATO, and faster innovation across the continent. He also cited refreshed arrangements with European partners as evidence of momentum.

Crucially for the North, he argued that investment decisions are tied to jobs and industrial renewal. South Yorkshire was singled out for the return of artillery manufacturing to the UK; Barrow was cited as having added around 1,000 roles since the election; and Sheffield Forgemasters, now publicly owned, is expanding steel production.

Officials say roughly 70% of Defence investment and jobs are landing outside London and the South East. For readers in Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster and beyond, the signal is clear: Defence work is flowing back into long‑standing manufacturing towns, with spillovers for local supply chains, colleges and research labs.

Since last summer’s election, the Ministry of Defence counts around 1,000 major contracts signed, with about 86% awarded to British firms. Ministers also point to £1.7bn of foreign direct investment into UK defence and headline export wins, including warships for Norway and fighter jets for Turkey.

New capacity is promised through a ‘factories of the future’ programme: 13 potential sites to build munitions and explosives, with groundworks due to begin next year. The package is put at £1.5bn during this Parliament and is expected to support over 1,000 jobs, focused on rearming the forces and rebuilding readiness.

As the kit evolves, the pitch is that drones, AI and autonomy will sit alongside the heavy metal of ships, planes and ammunition. The Defence Secretary highlighted a Helsing facility in Plymouth producing sea and undersea drones, and said Britain must move faster so frontline units have the edge.

Targets matter too. Ministers restated their 2.5% of GDP ambition for Defence and say it will be delivered earlier than previously expected. The claim will be watched closely across the North, where the test is less the headline and more the flow of orders, apprenticeships and long‑run investment.

For the North’s businesses and workforce, the opportunity is significant-if it lands as promised. The Northern Ledger will track which factories, yards and foundries benefit in South Yorkshire, Barrow, the Clyde and Belfast, and whether the pay packets, skills pipelines and supplier contracts match the talk.