This panel explores how the UK and its partners can modernise approaches to defence financing to improve support for innovation, resilience, and strategic advantage, delivering vital defence capabilities into the hands of our Armed Forces. To counter the emerging threats and amidst rapid technological change, traditional funding models are no longer sufficient. Panellists discuss how to unlock private investment, support available for SMEs, aligning government and financial sector priorities, as well as how to strengthen the UK’s defence industrial base—ensuring defence capital not only protects national security but also delivers a defence dividend, felt across the regions of the UK."

This session explores how digital warfare, spanning cyber operations, AI-driven surveillance, electromagnetic spectrum dominance, and satellite monitoring, is transforming maritime security and power projection. We will examine how real-time data fusion, AI-enhanced threat detection, and advanced cyber defence tools are shaping new career pathways, joint training programs, and interoperable skill sets across allied forces and commercial sectors.

Securing the maritime domain in the 21st century is no longer just about ships and hardware; it is about cultivating a digitally skilled workforce with the strategic mindset to outpace increasingly asymmetrical threats.