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Defence Technology (DefTech) is revolutionising the UK defence industry.
According to a recent report by techUK titled "DefTech: Technology Transforming Defence” advancements in DefTech will fundamentally change how the UK defends itself, necessitating new approaches to government thinking about national capabilities. This article explores what DefTech is, how it is being used and considers the recommendations put forward by techUK to enable the UK to maintain its adoption and use of these technologies moving forwards.
What is DefTech?
DefTech encompasses a wide range of applications, software, and technologies designed to enhance military operations and capabilities.
Over the past decade, the growth of UK defence tech start-ups has been substantial with an approximate total of £1.05 billion investment secured since 2013 (see this analysis by Beauhurst here). Driven by the evolving geopolitical landscape and the strategic importance of advanced defence technologies, the demand for innovative solutions in areas such as cybersecurity, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence, has increased dramatically and brought about a surge of development in these fields to address contemporary security challenges.
How is DefTech being used?
DefTech is increasingly deployed and utilised in defence and warfare. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has illustrated how future wars may be conducted, demonstrating the role of traditional warfare strategies and need for actors to develop, integrate and deploy advanced technologies at speed.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones have been extensively used for intelligence gathering, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), targeting and direct attacks. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has also been employed to analyse large data sets including satellite imagery and social media to predict enemy movements and identify potential threats.
What challenges does the UK face when adopting, developing or procuring DefTech?
The techUK report identifies and reflects on what it perceives to be the key challenges in developing, adopting and adapting to DefTech within current government processes and suggests actions to improve:
- It reflects that slow procurement processes hinder technology acquisition and suggests that government focus on core capabilities for better budget decisions, rather than just percentages of GDP.
- Suggests streamlining delivery and innovation units to declutter the defence ecosystem and to avoid duplication of efforts in order to drive efficiency.
- Suggests replacing outdated acquisition processes and recommends the MOD adopt problem statements rather than predefined requirements to encourage more innovative solutions from a wider range of providers.
- Reflects that the MOD could enable commercial teams to consider a broader range of suppliers (including SMEs) by removing unnecessary requirements and providing clear guidelines on risk calculation. Linked to this, the report highlights that SMEs face barriers like high liability insurance which hinders their ability to participate in defence contracts and stifles possible innovations.
- Recommends recruiting reservists from industry with practical technological experience to identify gaps and flaws in current processes and suggest technological solutions.
- Calls for better data management to turn raw data into actionable intelligence quicker, with recommendations to standardise data exchange processes and work with synthetic datasets to prepare products for the market.
Overall, the report considers that the UK's needs include an effective Ministry of Defence, a civil society that recognises the risks and need for investment, and a strong and dynamic DefTech sector.
If you would like to discuss AI and Defence, please contact Lucy Owens or Louise Dean. This article was written by Louise Dean.
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This article was written by Alice Gillie.
