About UKTI
UKTI (UK Trade & Investment) is a government department that helps businesses sell their products worldwide.
UKTI supports a range of different industries, from IT to pharmaceuticals. Its Sectors Group employs approximately 130 staff to support 34 industry sectors. In 2008, it opened the Defence & Security Organisation (UKTI DSO) to promote arms exports. UKTI now employs 160 civil servants to sell arms
Despite its obscure name and low profile, UKTI DSO is at the heart of the government’s support for the arms trade.
- It exists purely to help arms companies sell weapons to other countries.
- Working on behalf of private arms companies, it promotes weapons sales to unstable and repressive regimes, with little regard for the impact of such sales.
- This work is all paid for by the UK taxpayer.
- UKTI DSO reflects the huge and disproportionate support given to arms companies: UKTI employs more civil servants to sell arms than it does to support every other industry sector combined.
- There is no economic justification for such support: arms sales account for just 1.5 % of UK exports and sustain just 0.2% of the national labour force. Instead of fuelling insecurity and abuse around the globe, this money would be better spent on tackling real threats to our security, such as climate change: a move that would also create new jobs and boost the economy.
Visitors at DSEi 2009 (Defence & Security Equipment International), the world’s largest arms fair.
UKTI DSO co-organises DSEi, which takes place every two years in London. The fair exists so that arms buyers and sellers can come together, network and make deals. UKTI DSO's support is crucial to the success of DSEi and its continued existence. In 2009, it invited 53 countries to DSEi, including at least 15 with serious conflict and human rights concerns or urgent development needs.
Read more
Briefing: Arms Trading at UKTI as a webpage or download as a PDF
Arms dealing around the world: Calendar of UKTI DSO's activities
UKTI DSO: Arms fair organiser
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