Defence Talks: Securing UK Advantage

Over the last two decades, nations have needed to counter a dramatic increase in the number and types of threats to their national defence and security. Joined by Rob Merryweather of BAE Systems, James Gavin of Defence Equipment & Support and Robert Fox of the Evening Standard, we explore how disruptive technologies including artificial intelligence and new quantum-based technologies can add to these challenges, but can also offer significant opportunities to improve defence and security capability. 

With a general election expected sometime in 2024, we consider what the key policy priorities are for the defence of the United Kingdom and Britain’s defence industry. Joined by Sir Michael Fallon, former Secretary of State for Defence, and Samira Braund, Defence Director at ADS Group, we consider what more Britain could be doing to invest in the domestic defence industry and the importance of international collaboration to secure the UK’s advantage.

Ahead of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of NATO, we reflect on the role that the UK has played in the organisation and what this means in the current threat environment. Joined by Lord Robertson, former Secretary General of NATO, and AVM Fin Monahan, Director of DCDC, the independent think tank of the Ministry of Defence, we consider the main challenges facing NATO and how Britain can shape the future of the alliance.

This episode discusses the growing importance of space in the context of defence and consider the strategic role of the UK. Joined by Elizabeth Seward, Head of Space Strategy and Future Business at BAE Systems, and Juliana Suess, Research Analyst and Policy Lead for Space Security at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), we will examine the current capabilities of the UK and look to where Britain should be focusing its efforts.

Ahead of the second anniversary of Russia’s renewed aggression against Ukraine, we examine the current status of Russia’s war against Ukraine and why ensuring a Ukrainian victory is vital to Britain’s security. Joined by Andy Start, CEO of Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) at the Ministry of Defence and Mark Galeotti, Director of Mayak Intelligence and author of Putin’s Wars, we consider how we can maintain support for Ukraine and what more Britain could be doing.

In this episode we examine critical skills and what this means for employees in defence both now and in the future. We discuss the measures being taken to attract new talent into the UK’s defence sector, particularly in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Paul Oxley, Director of Government and Policy at ADS Group is joined by David Robinson, Director of Post-16 and Skills at the Education Policy Institute and Tilly Watts, an Engineering Degree Apprentice at BAE Systems.

In this special episode, we reflect on the highlights from the first five episodes of Defence Talks: Securing UK Advantage. In 2023 we focused on topics ranging from the ‘refresh’ of the Defence Command Paper to the role of ESG in defence industry and discussed the most important issues facing British defence with guests including The Rt. Hon. James Heappey MP, Minister of State for Armed Forces, Angela Owen OBE, Founder of Women in Defence UK, and Prof. Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King’s College London.

In this episode we are joined by Prof. Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King’s College London, and Dr William James, Ax:son Johnson Research Fellow at King’s College London. We explore what it means to have a military competitive edge, how such an edge has displayed itself in history and what we can learn from this.

In this episode, we examine the relationship between ESG investment and the defence sector. Joined by Kevin Craven, the CEO of ADS Group, and Camilla Hughes, former ESG lead at Rothschild & Co Global Advisory, we consider whether defence can really be aligned with ESG objectives and how we can make sure the sector does not lose out on the investment that is crucial for securing the UK’s security and innovation advantage.

In our third episode, we explore the relationship between UK society and the Armed Forces. Joined by The Rt. Hon. James Heappey MP, Minister of State for Armed Forces, and Howard Mustoe, Industry Editor at The Telegraph, we shed light on changing perceptions, implications for national security and the impact on the families of those who serve.