King's College London

Former Defence Correspondent and BBC broadcaster Caroline Wyatt chaired the panel discussion and welcomed leading voices from across academia, industry and government. Panellists included: Rob Atchison, Managing Director of ClearSpace UK, Professor Julie Smith, Baroness Smith of Newnham and Liberal Democrat Defence Spokesman in the House of Lords, Dr David Jordan, Senior Lecturer and Co-Director of the Freeman Air & Space Institute and Arun Dawson, PhD candidate, Freeman Air and Space Institute and a Researcher with the RUSI-led Nuclear Deterrence Network (NDN).

Engaging with questions from audiences both in the room and online, the panel explored some of the most pressing issues facing the UK defence and security sector. The theme of the 2026 Summer Event, National Security at a Crossroads: Navigating Today’s Threat Landscape, provided a timely focus for the discussion. In her opening remarks, Baroness Sophy Antrobus, Co-Director of the Freeman Air and Space Institute, observed that this is a particularly significant moment to be discussing defence, against a backdrop of a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape, accelerating technological advances and increasingly complex security challenges.

 

The conversation began in the wake of John Healey’s resignation over the ‘inability and the unwillingness’ of the Prime mister and the Chancellor to fully fund the Defence Investment Plan. Speaking on the ramifications for the defence sector, David Jordon noted that this issue is not a new one and could be the culmination of 35 years of defence planning shaped by the assumption that a major conflict in Europe was highly unlikely. “You are trying to square a circle that has been a problem for at least the period since the Russia annexation of Crimea”.

Rob Atkinson reflected on the Defence Investment plan from an industry lens, he highlighted growing concerns within the sector on the impact of continued uncertainty on investment decisions, innovation, and workforce planning across the defence sector. Stressing that the lack of clarity is having tangible consequences. Rob added “uncertainty is the challenge” and warned that delays are discouraging investment in the United Kingdom. With companies becoming increasingly hesitant to commit resources without a clearer understanding of future government priorities and spending commitments.

The importance of the whole of society approach emerged as a defining theme throughout the discussion with Baroness Smith noting that the UK is still lacking a genuine national conversation about defence and security, despite repeated calls for greater public engagement following the publication of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR). Referring to comments made by former NATO Secretary Lord George Robertson when the SDR was released, Baroness Smith argued that there had been a clear expectation that the country should engage in a broad discussion about the future of defence. However, this conversation has yet to materialise in any meaningful way.

Looking ahead, Baroness Smith called for Britain to increase its commitment to the ‘whole of society approach’ and follow the example set by countries such as Poland and the Baltic states, which have consistently advocated for stronger defence investment and military preparedness.

Arun Dawson argued that societal resilience should be viewed not only as a domestic policy concern but also as a security commitment under NATO's Article 3. He noted that both the UK and the wider alliance have an obligation to strengthen their ability to withstand and respond to emerging threats.

"As a country, and as part of the wider NATO alliance, we should be looking at these issues as a matter of international commitments."

Arun emphasised that one of the challenges in building resilience is that many modern threats are largely invisible to the public. Unlike conventional defence threats, dangers such as artificial intelligence-enabled misinformation and disinformation can be difficult to recognise and understand.

He highlighted the important role of education in addressing this challenge, with a clear example of the Department for Education's role in helping people develop critical thinking skills and a greater awareness of the subtle ways information can be manipulated. The conversation highlighted that the security challenges facing the UK today cannot be left solely to the Ministry of Defence.

Rob Atchin echoed the need for broader participation, stressing that industry must be fully integrated into national resilience discussions. He argued that excluding the private sector would risk overlooking key organisations responsible for delivering the technologies, capabilities and expertise needed to support national security.

"Industry has to be part of the national conversation, otherwise, you miss the enablers that fundamentally deliver the capabilities and hardware, including the people with the right skills."

You can watch the event in full here: