From 12 to 15 September 2023, the ExCel Centre in London hosted
over 35,000 attendees from around the world for this year’s
Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition.
With the theme for this year’s event ‘Achieving an Integrated
Force’, Strategic Command was at the forefront of the discussions
and during the week showcased a broad range of work through the
Strategic Command stand, keynote speakers, briefings, and panel
discussions.
Our partnerships – across Defence, with other government
departments, international allies, industry, and academia – give
UK Defence our strength. DSEI 23 was a valuable opportunity to
develop old and build new partnerships.
Strategic Command representatives at DSEI covered a broad range
of topics, spanning integration, digitisation, wargaming, support
and logistics, artificial intelligence, the cyber and
electromagnetic domain, and crucially – the people and skills
required to lead and progress in all these areas.
Defence’s digital power was an important subject for the week.
Panel discussions explored how we make the most of our data, the
daily threats encountered in the cyber and electromagnetic
domain, and how Defence is embracing the opportunities of
artificial intelligence.
Our people are at the core of everything we do in Defence, and it
is increasingly challenging to attract and retain talent,
particularly those with digital, science and engineering skills.
At DSEI 23, Strategic Command launched the digital bursary
programme – an ambitious initiative offering financial incentives
and development and mentoring opportunities for 16 to 18 year old
STEM and digital students to support and encourage careers in
Defence.
With this being the first DSEI since Russia’s full-scale invasion
of Ukraine in February 2022, there was a significant focus
throughout the event on what UK Defence is learning from this
brutal conflict. Rear Admiral Andrew Betton, Director of Joint
Warfare in Strategic Command, delivered a briefing on the lessons
learning process and important insights from the war. The Surgeon
General, Major General Timothy Hodgetts, also presented on
insights from the conflict, focusing on how these are influencing
Defence’s medical planning and training.
At the stand, Strategic Command displayed tangible examples of
how wargaming supports decision making, as well as how Defence is
expanding wargaming capability by launching a new Defence
Wargaming Hub. With Strategic Command responsible for Defence’s
global network, there were also important discussions on how we
continue to integrate Defence’s people, places and technology
around the globe.
Throughout the event, the strength of our partnerships was clear.
The Strategic Command team welcomed international delegations for
tours of the stand and bilateral discussions, while several
roundtable discussions brought together partners from academia,
industry, other government departments, and the media.
We will be at the next DSEI in 2025 to share more about how
Strategic Command is sharpening Defence’s edge.
