We’re witnessing an evolution in the balance and mix of capabilities required for military advantage. In Ukraine and elsewhere, we see attritable, consumable and software-based capabilities assuming greater prominence. Relatedly, we see accelerating rates of battlefield learning and adaptation, often driven by front-line problem-solving.

These and other factors challenge traditional approaches to capability development, acquisition and fielding – often geared towards large, long-term, expensive and survivable hardware capabilities. While these remain important, new kinds of capability requirements urge alternative approaches: not just greater pace, but tighter defence-industrial feedback loops, more devolution, a greater role for end-users and – for defence leaders – a greater command of the operational, technological and commercial underpinnings of military capability. “I don’t do tech” and “I leave the commercials to others” are increasingly untenable positions.