ADS Briefing Event: Defence Reform – What next?
The Defence Reform agenda that seemed clear just a few months ago – embodied in the UK’s Integrated Review and accompanying strategies – is subject to some particular challenges and opportunities, most of which emanate either directly or indirectly from the war in Ukraine.
This ADS & UDSS event is designed to help you understand this environment, to separate the important and urgent from the equally important but longer term challenges and opportunities, so you can inform your own debates and start to work out how you respond as individuals and companies. UDSS’ senior defence and security experts will deliver a series of short keynote addresses followed by panel discussions. The event will conclude with networking drinks.
What to expect and what we'll cover:
The defence and security environment is experiencing this multitude of concurrent strategic challenges, amongst others, the path through which is unclear.
- The re-calibration of the balance, and integration, of digital, kinetic and conventional capabilities in force design and capability development.
- The structure and effectiveness of the UK’s armed forces – from MoD to individual units, the way Defence is managed, and its strategic resilience – have all been in the spotlight as the effects of decades of budgetary and capability risk-taking transitions to a more responsive, pro-active and harder-edged approach in the face of a clear and substantial threat.
- NATO’s sense of unity and purpose has been strengthened, creating opportunities for rapid doctrinal and structural developments within the alliance and amongst its partners.
- NATO nations face substantial national budgetary challenges arising from higher energy prices, general inflation and other economic pressures, while they strive to upgrade their military capabilities with some urgency in the face of a clear threat.
- The Defence and Security sectors face substantial domestic inflationary pressures from the weak pound; but such pressures also create potentially powerful economic advantage.
- While the focus is on Ukraine, other strategic security challenges must also be managed – not least those posed by China. Defence planning therefore has to manage dealing with what is on the strategic doorstep – Europe, with what sits over the horizon.
When: Tuesday 28th March
Where: In person, London
Timings: 1300 - 1900hrs
Agenda:
- 13:00 Arrival and registration
- 14:00 Keynote 1 – Lessons for military capability from the Ukraine conflict - General Sir Richard Barrons
- 14:30 Panel discussion
- 15:00 Future defence budgets and capability development: what to expect - Lieutenant General (Retd) Sir Mark Poffley
- 15:30 Panel discussion
- 16:00 Break
- 16:15 NATO: what next for the alliance and other alliances? - Speaker tbc
- 16:45 Panel discussion
- 17:15 Conclusions
- 17:30 Networking drinks
- 19:00 Close
Book your tickets for this event, click here.
