2 minute read
START Talking
from March 2023
by Desider
It’s now one year since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. A pivotal moment for UK, European and global defence and security, which continues to reshape the international landscape. As the global threat environment changes, we can’t afford to stand still and must change with it. The pace of change means that we need to innovate to maintain our edge and keep ahead of our potential adversaries. Working as a One Defence team, we need to harness the best people with the brightest minds to generate new ideas and think outside the box, to drive innovation and pioneer new outcomes that transform the way Defence thinks and operates.
As you’ll read in this issue, UK Defence is pulling out all the stops to get out in front of our adversaries today, and be ready for the new opportunities and challenges that will emerge tomorrow. Our response to Russia’s invasion has been grounded in fastpaced, innovative approaches that broke with old moulds and generated agile, integrated solutions. We have worked together, across Defence and wider industry, and delivered impressive results. It’s imperative that we take forward the lessons we’ve learned and apply them to our wider programme of work.
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Changing global power balances, the impacts of climate change, and the recent natural disasters we’ve witnessed in Turkey and elsewhere will all have repercussions on our work. By being proactive and anticipating future challenges, we can stay ahead of the curve and maintain our innovative edge. As John Ridge, MOD’s Director of Innovation, writes in our external insight piece, we need to put Defence on a constant war-footing, ever-ready to act.
New technology, including artificial intelligence, virtual simulations and autonomous systems, will play a major role in the future of Defence and we must embrace them. You can read more about Peregrine, the Royal Navy’s eye-in-the-sky, and ICAVS(D), a new virtual training suite, later in this issue. Innovations like these bring improved efficiency, accuracy and effectiveness to defence operations.
When we work together, we are stronger. It’s proven. We know this. It’s the partnerships in our One Defence team approach that set us apart from our adversaries. We must continue to foster a culture of innovation with our partners, allowing us to get new technologies and capabilities into the hands of our armed forces more quickly. These partnerships and collaborations bring fresh perspectives and new innovative energy. By investing in research and development, collaborating with academic institutions and industry partners, and providing funding for defence research, we can test, trial and improve. A brilliant example of this is Project Synergia led by our Future Capabilities Group – you can read more about the success of this project on page 11.
Our international partnerships are a vital part of this too and can help the UK defence industry stay competitive and innovative. Collaboration towards a common goal with other countries brings together more diverse expertise, resources and ideas that can drive innovation in our mission to equip our armed forces with the edge to protect our nation.
This is a very exciting time to be part of DE&S and the One Defence team. The ‘speed of relevance’ is getting faster and technological solutions are being realised more rapidly than ever before. We therefore need to evolve our approach and it’s great to see in this issue the ways in which innovation will ensure we stay at the front of the pack; today, tomorrow, together.
