When we had a much larger defence research establishment keeping the really sensitive research activities secure was much easier. We allowed market forces to dominate sovereign security and are now paying the price... Not impossible to repair but that will need political will and sustained investment... And scientific and engineering leadership...
This is a most interesting response. I agree and disagree in equal parts. First, yes we need a stronger HMG R&D capacity in defence and security, backed by stable long-term funding and a reconstructed, more empowered, axis with procurement and the capability owners. But … we will not be able to secure the necessary scale, investment and knowledge without universities and particularly without cutting-edge industry, drawing on the market. The problem - it seems to me, and I am not alone - is the concentration of defence industry engagement into an ever-smaller group of specialist defence primes rather than a broader body of industry.
When we had a much larger defence research establishment keeping the really sensitive research activities secure was much easier. We allowed market forces to dominate sovereign security and are now paying the price... Not impossible to repair but that will need political will and sustained investment... And scientific and engineering leadership...
This is a most interesting response. I agree and disagree in equal parts. First, yes we need a stronger HMG R&D capacity in defence and security, backed by stable long-term funding and a reconstructed, more empowered, axis with procurement and the capability owners. But … we will not be able to secure the necessary scale, investment and knowledge without universities and particularly without cutting-edge industry, drawing on the market. The problem - it seems to me, and I am not alone - is the concentration of defence industry engagement into an ever-smaller group of specialist defence primes rather than a broader body of industry.