Air Marshal (Retd) Phil Osborn CBE FRAeS, Director at Universal Defence and Security Solutions, and Joel Grundy, Partner at Q5, explore why national resilience can no longer be seen as the sole responsibility of government or defence.
In an era of persistent geopolitical uncertainty, hybrid conflict and rapid technological change, resilience is now a shared endeavour between government, defence, industry and wider society.
The UK and its allies are operating in a security environment that is no longer defined by clear boundaries between peace and conflict.
Cyber attacks, disinformation, economic coercion, supply chain disruption, technological competition and threats to critical national infrastructure are now part of the everyday strategic landscape. The result is a more contested, less predictable world in which national security is shaped not only by military capability, but by the resilience of the organisations, systems and people that underpin national life.
In conversation with Joel Grundy, Partner at Q5, Air Marshal (Retd) Phil Osborn CBE FRAeS, Director at UDSS, argued that this shift requires a fundamental change in mindset.
Resilience is no longer something that can be delegated to a single department, sector or institution. It is a shared national responsibility.
For organisations across government, defence and industry, the current geopolitical environment cannot be treated as a temporary disruption.
As Phil Osborn notes, today’s crisis is not a passing phase. It is not a short-term shock to be managed and then left behind. Instead, persistent uncertainty is becoming the operating context for a generation.
“This current geopolitical crisis is not transitory,” he explains. “This is now normal. It will endure in terms of its unpredictability and in terms of the pressure that unpredictability will put on normal life.”
That has profound implications for business, government and national security.
The challenge is not simply to recover from one crisis, but to configure organisations so that they can continue to operate, adapt and compete through repeated disruption. Those that fail to do so risk becoming less resilient, less relevant and less competitive.
In other words, resilience is no longer discretionary. It is a core requirement for long-term viability.
Too often, resilience is still treated as a compliance exercise: a matter of meeting standards, passing audits or satisfying regulatory expectations.
While those disciplines remain important, they are no longer sufficient.
In a more contested world, organisations need to ask a deeper set of questions. How would they continue to operate during a prolonged cyber incident? How exposed are their supply chains to geopolitical disruption? How quickly can they adapt to changing risk? How well do their leaders understand their role within the wider national security ecosystem?
This is where the concept of “shared endeavour” becomes critical.
Businesses are not external to national security. Many are already part of the defence and security fabric, whether through direct defence contracts, critical infrastructure, data, logistics, technology, finance, energy, communications or advanced manufacturing.
For new entrants into the defence market, and for more traditional players reinventing their role, this creates both opportunity and responsibility. Working in defence and security can support business longevity, but it also brings obligations. Organisations become part of something larger than their own commercial success.
Industry has always been central to defence. But in today’s environment, its role is expanding.
The UK’s security depends on the ability of industry to innovate, scale, deliver capability, sustain supply chains and respond at pace. That requires closer collaboration between government, defence and business, but it also requires companies to understand how their own resilience contributes to national resilience.
For many organisations, this may mean rethinking risk management. Resilience is not just about protecting existing operations. It is about building the adaptability, leadership and decision-making capacity needed to operate under pressure.
It also means recognising that national prosperity and national security are increasingly connected. A strong industrial base, competitive businesses and resilient supply chains are not separate from defence. They are part of the country’s ability to deter, respond and endure.
One of the most important themes in the discussion is the human dimension of resilience.
Technology, process and policy matter. But resilience ultimately depends on people: on the quality of leadership, the clarity of decision-making and the ability of teams to perform in uncertainty.
Cognitive resilience is therefore becoming a critical organisational capability.
Leaders need to be able to make decisions without perfect information. They need to understand risk in context. They need to communicate clearly, maintain trust and keep organisations focused when circumstances are changing quickly.
This is particularly important in an era of hybrid conflict, where pressure may be applied through cyber, information, economic and political channels long before any conventional military threshold is crossed.
For businesses, this means resilience cannot sit only with risk teams, compliance teams or crisis management functions. It has to be embedded in strategy, culture and leadership.
The organisations that will succeed in this environment are those that treat resilience as a source of competitive strength.
That does not mean becoming defensive or risk-averse. On the contrary, resilient organisations are often more confident, more innovative and better able to move at pace because they understand their vulnerabilities and have prepared for disruption.
For defence and security businesses, this is especially important.
The pace of technological change, the urgency of capability delivery and the evolving nature of threat all demand organisations that can adapt quickly without losing sight of mission, quality or responsibility.
As Phil Osborn suggests, if organisations are not configured for this new operating reality, they may struggle to remain competitive in the long term.
The stakes are higher, and the expectations on industry are greater.
National security is no longer something that happens elsewhere. It is not confined to the battlefield, the Ministry of Defence or the intelligence community.
It is present in supply chains, boardrooms, data systems, ports, factories, financial networks, research labs and communications infrastructure. It depends on the ability of public and private organisations to understand risk, work together and act with purpose.
That is why resilience must now be treated as a shared endeavour.
Government has a central role to play. Defence has a central role to play. But industry, finance, technology, academia and wider society must also recognise their part in the national security ecosystem.
The future will remain unpredictable. But organisations that build resilience, adaptability and leadership into the way they operate will be better placed not only to withstand disruption, but to contribute meaningfully to the defence, security and prosperity of the nation.
To find out more about how UDSS supports organisations across defence, security, industry and government, visit Universal Defence and Security Solutions.