2026 Agenda
Arrival Networking Tea and Coffee
Chair’s Opening Remarks
From Strategy to Capability: Accelerating Digital Adoption Across UK Defence
The aim of the session will be to explore the growing gap between Defence ambition and the pace of technology deployment. It will examine how UK Defence can accelerate digital capability adoption to strengthen operational readiness and future resilience.
Key Focus Areas:
- Why Defence must move faster in adopting digital capability
- The growing gap between innovation and operational deployment
- Strategic priorities for Defence digital transformation over the next 5 years
- What “operational readiness” means in a digitally contested world
Sponsor Session
From Policy to Delivery: Unlocking Procurement in Defence Digital
This panel session will be a discussion around the structural, cultural and procurement barriers slowing technology adoption across Defence. The panel will explore why innovation often fails to become operational capability and what needs to change.
Key Focus Areas:
- Procurement and deployment delays
- Why innovation struggles to become capability
- Leadership and cultural barriers
- Scaling from pilot to operational deployment
Break
Lessons from Ukraine: Building Digital Readiness at Speed
This session will aim to examine how drones, AI, software and real-time data are reshaping modern conflict in Ukraine. The discussion will explore what UK Defence can learn from the speed of technology deployment seen on the battlefield.
Key Focus Areas:
- Speed of digital capability deployment in modern conflict
- How software, AI and drones are reshaping operational readiness
- Rapid adaptation and decision-making in contested environments
- Lessons for UK Defence capability and resilience
- What Defence can realistically adopt and scale
Sponsor Session
Lunch
Off the Record: What Defence & Industry Still Get Wrong
A candid conversation between MOD and industry on where expectations, procurement and delivery models are currently misaligned. The panel will explore how both sides can work together more effectively to accelerate operational capability
Key Focus Areas:
- Where Defence and industry remain misaligned
- Why capability stalls after successful pilots or trials
- Procurement, commercial and leadership barriers
- Balancing operational urgency with governance and assurance
- What both sides believe must change immediately
Gold Sponsor Session
Networking and Coffee Break
AI in Defence: Readiness, Risk & Responsibility
This session explores how AI, automation and data-driven capability could reshape future Defence operations and how UK Defence prepares for a more digitally enabled operating environment.
Key Focus Areas:
- How AI is transforming operational capability across Defence
- AI-enabled decision-making and operational advantage
- Human-machine teaming and future Defence operations
- Workforce skills and leadership readiness for AI adoption
- Opportunities for AI across operational planning, logistics and support functions
- Preparing Defence for the next generation of digitally enabled capability
Closing Chair Remarks and End of Day One
Digital Defence Leaders Networking Reception
Building Connections Across Defence, Industry & Innovation
A private drinks reception bringing together all attendees, including senior Defence leaders, industry partners, innovators and investors to continue the day’s discussions in a more informal environment.
Designed to encourage relationship building and open conversation, the reception will provide opportunities to discuss shared challenges around capability, technology adoption, operational readiness and future collaboration across the Defence ecosystem.
Chair’s Opening Remarks
Building Sovereign Digital Capability for UK Defence
This session explores how UK Defence can strengthen sovereign capability by reducing reliance on external technology dependencies, building secure and resilient digital environments, and supporting UK-led innovation and industrial capability.
Key Focus Areas:
- Building sovereign digital capability across UK Defence
- Reducing reliance on foreign-controlled technologies and supply chains
- Sovereign cloud infrastructure and secure operational environments
- Supporting UK innovation and sovereign technology ecosystems
- Balancing interoperability with operational independence
- Building secure by design environments for AI-enabled operations
AI in Defence: Governance, Trust & Operational Assurance
As AI adoption increases across Defence environments, this session examines how organisations build trust, accountability and assurance while balancing operational advantage with security and ethical considerations.
Key Focus Areas:
- Building trust in AI-enabled systems and decision-making
- Governance, ethics and accountability in Defence AI deployment
- Human oversight and explainability of AI-driven decisions
- Managing operational and reputational risk
- Securing AI-enabled environments and sensitive operational data
- Balancing innovation with assurance and operational control
Gold Sponsor Session
Break
Securing Mission-Critical Digital Infrastructure
As Defence becomes increasingly reliant on connected platforms, operational data and software-enabled capability, protecting mission critical digital infrastructure has become central to operational readiness and resilience. This session explores how Defence secures critical digital environments, communications and operational systems against disruption, cyber threats and contested operating conditions.
Key Focus Areas:
- Protecting mission critical digital systems and operational platforms
- Sovereign cloud infrastructure for Defence operations
- Air-gapped environments and classified data management
- Maintaining operational continuity during cyber disruption or system failure
- Strengthening digital resilience across Defence operations and command environments
- The role of secure by design architecture and zero trust frameworks
Scaling Sovereign Defence Innovation & Emerging Capability
This session explores how Defence can accelerate UK-led innovation and move emerging technologies from concept into operational capability through stronger collaboration between MOD, industry, investors and the wider innovation ecosystem
Key Focus Areas:
- Building sovereign Defence capability through UK innovation ecosystems
- Accelerating technology from concept to operational deployment
- Supporting SMEs, scale-ups and emerging technology providers
- Connecting Defence priorities with industry and investment communities
- Creating sustainable pathways for future capability development
- Scaling innovation at the speed operational environments demand
Identity, Trust & Security in the Age of AI
As Defence becomes increasingly data-driven and AI-enabled, Identity & Access Management, Access Control and Information Governance and Administration (IGA) are becoming critical to operational security and resilience. This session explores how Defence protects classified environments, handles highly sensitive operational and personal data, secures digital access and builds trust across connected operational systems.
Lunch and Networking
Legacy Infrastructure and Modernisation at Scale
This panel will examine how Defence modernises ageing systems and infrastructure while maintaining operational continuity and readiness. The session will focus on balancing transformation with operational stability.
Key Focus Areas:
- Modernising legacy infrastructure
- Balancing transformation with operational continuity
- Interoperability challenges
- Infrastructure readiness for future capability
Gold Sponsor Session
The Next Five Years: What Must Change Across UK Defence?
To close the conference we have a forward-looking panel discussion focused on the practical changes needed across Defence, procurement and industry to accelerate technology adoption and operational capability over the next decade.
Key Focus Areas:
- What needs to change immediately
- Improving speed of deployment
- The future Defence-industry relationship
- Does Defence currently have the workforce and leadership capability to deploy advanced digital systems?
- Building capability for the next decade