Agenda Outline
How do we create a UK defence ecosystem where innovation can go from concept to the frontline at a wartime pace? This opening panel discussion will bring together a diverse group of senior MoD officials, leading defence tech companies, and investors to tackle this question in detail, framed against UKDI’s recently announced 5 innovation themes guiding their work to accelerate frontline capabilities and drive national growth.
In the context of the Defence Investment Plan, how can private investors and industry respond to make the most of its demand signals and where do they need further clarity from MoD to make good on its aims? This discussion will bring together a diverse set of investors from the UK and Europe to discuss what different players must do to make UK defence investable long-term.
Given the dual facts of rapid AI advancement and a turbulent global threat landscape, does the UK have an imperative to invest in sovereign AI capabilities? And if so, what would a serious sovereign defence plan look like?
How should we be thinking about our defence capabilities for a future where the physical theatre of war looks radically different due to climate change?
Ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Iran have shown the degree to which warfare has changed, both from the use of technology as well as leveraging economic and political pressure points. How is technology playing a role in this trend, and what does it mean for the future of power conflict?
What lessons can the UK draw from our Nordic and Baltic allies’ approach to defence and how can we harness new technological capabilities across the JEF to punch above our weight as a coalition?
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