The Recent History of UK military programs:
The Defence Universities Alliance represents the latest in a series of UK government militarisation programs. The 2025 Strategic defence review (SDR) identified so-called ‘threats’ to global security, suggested future plans to expand military capabilities and significant increases to the military budget. The June 2026 Defence investment plan (DIP) was the first manifestation of these plans, which intends to deepen links between the existing military and its industrial base, allowing for heightened military production, paving way for the development of new arms and ammunition. Finally, the ongoing Defence Universities Alliance (DUA) sets out to expand the militarisation of our society into our academic institutions. Creating a network of communication and collaboration between the military, industry and academia.
The SDR advised a new course for the military, suggesting a “Whole of Society” approach, which integrates the function of the military into more levels of our society so that bourgeois institutions can maintain a higher level of military readiness. The SDR also advised the development of Dual-Use industries, which are those whose outputs can actively be used for both civilian and military purposes (for example, Chemical industries, rocket manufacturing, computer components, all have civilian and military applications.) The DIP put those plans into effect by developing ties within UK industries, so that military production can be scaled up, to a higher level of military readiness and so that dual-use industries can be prepared to adjust their production or have their existing production be increased for military purposes. The DUA then creates links between these institutions, and creates a stock of new strategic specialists, trained in data analysis, munitions production, digital warfare and arms procurement.
What exactly is the DUA?
The Defence Universities Alliance is a program currently including 20 UK universities (although it is intended to expand to 32 universities, and will presumably continue to grow from there.) In these selected academic institutions courses are to be created that will provide training on the aforementioned strategic roles (data analysis ‘who should we bomb?’ Munitions production ‘how can we make more bombs?’ Digital warfare ‘How do we stop them intercepting our bombs?’ And arms procurement ‘What sort of new bombs can we create?’
Up to 100 academics are free to apply, who will act as liaisons to the various industries involved, and pave the way for these new university programs.
Essentially, the DUA is a program intended to create longer term connections through both military and non military industries in order to develop new weapons and ways of war. To expand the capabilities of the imperialists for a foreseen future conflict with a comparable enemy.
In all its advertisements the government and affiliated universities speak of the new jobs these programs offer, how it will ‘help students’ and secure a future for the ‘defence of Britain.’ However neither of these claims are true, at least, they are not true for the working class of our country. Jobs in military industries only perpetuate the system of world imperialism, that same system which is criminalising our meagre protest in this country, that same system conducting the genocide in Palestine, the destruction of Iran, the war in Ukraine and many other terrible conflicts the world over. Jobs that exist purely to sustain imperialism are self-destructive, if the output of one worker’s labour is simply the destruction of many others’ work and labour then the sum total of that work done is negative. Thus capital is destroyed so that room is made to produce more. (this same fact defeats claims that these programs would help students, who would be going into destructive jobs too.) Furthermore, the so-called ‘Defence of Britain’ is not the defence of the working class, but instead the guarantee of the capitalists sovereignty. As communists we cannot support either of these things, it in no way benefits the working class of our nation, or the world, to militarise our universities or the whole of our society, it in fact will only bring us harm and great misery.
How should this news affect communists’ behaviour?
This program, and others that came before it, that laid the groundwork the DUA builds upon are designed to use a ‘whole of society’ approach to the military. We should recognise that this only truly refers to the whole of capitalist society, the machinery, the production lines, the companies and institutions that will enable further militarisation and profit off of it. These programs will not meaningfully benefit the working class, especially in a time of declining material conditions for the average worker. Therefore, we can use these programs as tools against the capitalist, and against liberal governments. There is a general animosity, especially among the youth in our country against going to war, this militarisation of our society, which does not protect the working class, therefore can be turned downwards, so that instead of the working class taking the bullet for the bourgeois, the capitalists may shoot themselves in the foot, only if we twist their wrists. This may be done through creating a sustained campaign against the DUA, against militarisation and against the warmongering of their (the capitalists) leaders (we know as good communists that the leaders of a bourgeois, liberal, or conservative government are not the leaders of the working class but are instead the leaders of the capitalists, the ruling class.)
It is also important that we consider how this program may go on to affect the state of socialist and communist organising within our academic institutions. While we do not live in a time that is wholly hostile to socialist organising, the legality of our work is always flexible, one moment it may be perfectly lawful to fly a red flag, the next it may land you a life sentence. Those comrades who are familiar with the struggle within the Bolshevik party between atavist and liquidator groups will understand that we cannot rely on our forms of struggle to always be lawful, as the rug may be pulled out from under us. And as we become more effective and a larger threat to capital, then our activity, in all its forms may be
criminalised.
This is not a baseless notion, we have already seen the very carrying of a banner or a simple statement be criminalised and considered ‘terrorism.’ It also follows that the expansion of the military into our academic institutions will not stop at just these 32 universities, nor will the expansion of policing stop at criminalising muttering support for an organisation. Therefore we should be careful in the years to come in the way we organise, especially within universities.
This has only been a very brief exploration of the new policy of our government, and is therefore limited in its analysis and advice, further reading, and discussion is necessary to fully grasp the scope and consequences of the UK government’s sustained militarisation efforts. However it is safe to say that like all turns, communists must correctly understand what is going on, its relation to imperialism and how it will affect our work of agitating, educating and organising. Do not lose hope comrades, for in every tightening click of the cuffs, more workers will realise something is deeply wrong with this world, and thus our moment grows nearer.
Rocco Greenall, is a member of the YCL’s Greater Manchester Branch
