A Wiltshire market town with strong military connections is set to benefit from a multi-billion-pound investment.
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis has announced a £2 billion contract that will see the British Army use AI to train its soldiers.
The government has said the new system helps deliver on the ambition to increase Armed Forces’ readiness, and progress transformation, backed by £298 billion investment through the Defence Investment Plan over four years.
Announcing the investment on Friday, July 10, Mr Jarvis said the landmark investment would generate 270 “highly skilled” jobs through 15-year £2 billion contract with a consortium of five UK-based companies.
The investment is intended to make UK soldiers better prepared for modern warfare by using AI “to ready troops for rapidly evolving battlefields.”
The contract will support jobs across Wiltshire and beyond, in areas including software engineering, AI expertise, cloud engineering and data analytics.
It will revolve around the Combat Laboratory – a digital platform which uses AI, advanced analytics and virtual environments to replicate the complexity of modern warfare. Up to 60,000 soldiers a year will be trained using the platform.
100 apprenticeships will be developed in partnership with Wiltshire College and the University of Staffordshire.
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These will cover disciplines from data and modelling to project management, opening long-term pathways into highly skilled defence careers for young people.
The government has said new roles will also be open to veterans, with some positions requiring prior military experience and to be based in Warminster.
The contract was awarded to Omnia Training a Raytheon UK-led consortium involving five UK-based companies, with 44 businesses in the supply chain
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis MBE MP said: “Our soldiers serve our nation with courage and exceptional dedication. I am absolutely determined they get the quality training they need to keep us safe.
“This programme shows how our investment in defence will create good, skilled jobs in the UK, including up to 60,000 new opportunities through our £298 billion investment over the next four years.
“This contract is good news for our national security and for new jobs in communities across the country.”
Managing director and chief executive of Raytheon UK James Gray said: “We launched Omnia Training over three years ago to deliver cutting-edge training systems to help the British Army effectively prepare for operations.
“Our UK‑based team of innovators, engineers and experts will give soldiers and commanders a new level of training realism and set an example for effective collaboration between the Army and industry.”
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