To build resilient defences—the subject of the seventh roundtable in Prospect’s series exploring the UK’s most urgent challenges—requires an appreciation of a volatile and changing landscape. In the words of the government-commissioned Strategic Defence Review, it means pivoting to “a new way of war” and understanding that “simple metrics such as the number of people and platforms deployed [are] outdated and inadequate”. Uncertainty prevails.
Definitions of defence resilience
In the search for a degree of certainty, roundtable participants were asked for a collective understanding of what defence resilience means and what it infers. This is a task complicated by the sheer range of roles and responsibilities defence encompasses—from national defence to cyber security, and from civil defence to national preparedness.
Beyond this “conceptual soup” it is possible, however, to identify the “logics of resilience”. The first is the ability to “absorb and bounce back” from attacks including grey zone incidents such as terrorism and cybercrime. The second is to avoid “inadvertent signals of weakness” that are likely to encourage the enemy.
Another defence expert added that resilience should be about “shaping the UK towards the best case” as much as preparing for, and responding to, “worst case outcomes”. Here “deterrence by denial”, where robust signals of strength are sufficient to discourage hostile action, should prevail.
Innovation in action
If the defence landscape is volatile, what role can technology play in building solutions designed for the “new way of war” rather than the old? For one roundtable attendee, at least, it is the effective adoption of data—rather than technology in the round—that really counts. “The oxygen in the value chain is data”, he said. That means the UK must better integrate data across its defence supply chain if it is to fully meet threats and best deliver mitigation.
Ukraine provides an instructive case study of innovation in action. Its extensive use of drones offers a clear example of how the “force of war” galvanises accelerated adoption of new technologies. Ukraine’s agility contrasts with the UK’s drawn-out procurement lifecycles. The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) behind the development of a sixth-generation stealth fighter jet is a case in point. The proposed crewed craft—targeted for use by 2035 but subject to likely delays—may be outdated long before it enters service. Faster procurement cycles are required.
Another voice suggested that traditional relationships between the Ministry of Defence and the defence industry have become “stodgy” over time and urged the UK to do a better job in attracting international capital, those “pools of money that never enter the conversation”.
Further remedies
Asked to offer other potential solutions, attendees called for clearer chains of command. For some that means the creation of a senior resilience executive to address UK vulnerabilities across all sectors. For others it is about recalibrating decision-making so that it is situated where it can be most effective. That often means at the lowest or most local level.
Elsewhere, roundtable voices called for greater cooperation between the Ministry of Defence and the defence industry so they can “co-create” solutions and responses, and to challenge the misconception that defence is “the government’s job alone”. Rather, it is “the industry that knows what will work, not someone working in Whitehall, so it’s vital that they work together and not in isolation”.
Improved messaging here
A third suggestion? To appoint expert voices, such as leading academics to talk through the implications of food security, for example. These external voices might provide the accessible and credible messaging that is missing from typical Westminster and Whitehall communications. Simplified messaging matters. “If you can’t put it on the front of t-shirt, you can’t sell”.
As elsewhere in this series, the need for effective communication emerged as a priority. A priority in preparing civil society for present and future threats, in managing expectations, and in underscoring the nation’s strength. Effective communication is also required to address a sphere of public policy that relies on “building fat into the system”. Resilience requires redundancy which, in turn, presents a communications challenge. Namely, the difficulty of identifying successful procurement where outcomes are assessed by their absence more often than their presence. “I don’t envy the government… but it has to explain why we should invest”.
Building Resilient UK Defence, a roundtable jointly hosted by Prospect and Amentum, took place on Wednesday 17th June 2026
The post-war assumptions that shaped the UK’s security and prosperity are under increasing strain. The return of conflict in Europe and the Middle East has heightened geopolitical tensions; increasing cyber threats and rapid advances in technology are also forcing governments to adapt more quickly to a fast-changing security environment. In this new era, resilience is no longer simply about recovering from disruption. It is about ensuring the nation can anticipate, adapt and continue to operate effectively in the face of persistent challenges.
Meeting these challenges requires more than increased investment. It demands the ability to generate capability faster, strengthen national capacity and translate innovation into operational advantage.
Building resilience demands a broader understanding of national security; extending beyond the armed forces to include industrial capacity, secure supply chains, skilled workforces and trusted international partnerships. Government, industry and academia all have a vital role to play.
In an increasingly contested world, resilience should be measured not simply by who owns a capability, but by the capability the UK can reliably generate, sustain and employ when it matters most. That means building stronger partnerships, adopting more agile approaches to procurement and innovation, and ensuring technology and data are translated into operational effect at pace.
The challenge now is not defining the strategy but delivering it. Achieving that will require long-term commitment, closer collaboration and a shared determination to strengthen the resilience that underpins our security, prosperity and ability to deter future threats.
Illy Andrews
Vice president of Defence & Asset Solutions, Amentum
