Integration is about ensuring that the Armed Forces can act in a way that is greater than the sum of their parts, fused across Government and with our Allies and international partners. Realising the benefits of integration requires Defence to work in closer partnership with industry.
The theme of the day was 'Enabling the Integrated Force'. Over 150 participants got the chance to view some of Thales' most innovative multi-domain capabilities, which also highlighted the importance of data sharing to enable decision advantage.
Lieutenant General Tom Copinger-Symes CBE, our Deputy Commander and one of the keynote speakers, said:
Strategic Command was created to be Defence's integrator. It is a key part of our raison d'être, along with support to campaigning and leading the cyber and electromagnetic domain. Integration is about teamwork.
A critical enabler for integration and central to our approach, as laid out in the Defence Command Paper Refresh, is improving our digital skills across the Defence Enterprise, for specialists and generalists. There is a national shortage of skills, so we need to double down on our apprenticeships and increase our support to STEM at schools and universities, and we should do all that hand-in-hand with our industry partners.
The Deputy Commander was then joined in a discussion panel by colleagues from Thales UK, including Alex Creswell, CEO, Justin Walker, Vice President of Digital Transformation, and Sam McBriar, Director of Maritime Strategy. The audience heard from the panel about the importance of digital deterrence, digital skills for defence, and how we can apply lessons learned from recent conflicts - this also examined the ways that industry can help join up across the Defence Enterprise.
Strategic Command will demonstrate how we contribute to sharpening Defence's edge at DSEI 2023 in London this September, with an emphasis on Achieving the Integrated force.
More info on DSEI 2023 is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-command-at-dsei-2023.
More info on integration is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/multi-domain-integration.
