Claire Benham | Commercial Director | Defence Infrastructure Organisation
Claire Benham, Commercial Director at the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, discusses the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan and current pipeline and resource challenges for UK businesses.
Highlights from Day Two | Thursday, 26 March 2026
Day two of DPRTE 2026 brought the event to a powerful and purposeful close, reinforcing its position as the UK’s flagship defence procurement and supply chain event. With over 3,000 attendees on site once again, the energy across the exhibition hall and conference theatres has been unmistakable, marking another big year for the defence procurement community. Building on the momentum of day one, the Keynote Arena sessions tackled some of the most critical and forward-looking themes facing the sector. A standout moment of the day came from Deborah Haynes, whose session, “Are We Ready? Lessons from The Wargame,” offered a thought-provoking analysis of preparedness, resilience, and strategic decision-making. The session on NATO and Alliances: Interoperability and Industry further emphasised the importance of alignment between nations and suppliers. Across the exhibition floor, the scale and diversity of the supply chain have once again been on full display. Sponsors and exhibitors have played a central role in driving engagement, facilitating conversations that bridge policy, innovation, and delivery. From SMEs showcasing niche capabilities to global primes presenting advanced solutions, DPRTE continues to provide a vital platform for connection and collaboration.
Highlights from Day One | Wednesday, 25 March 2026
The highlights of Day One of #DPRTE2026 set a confident and forward-looking tone for the UK defence procurement community, bringing together government, industry leaders, SMEs, and innovators under one roof to address the sector’s most pressing priorities. From the moment the doors opened, the exhibition hall was alive with conversation. With a strong presence from […]
James Gavin | Deputy Director | UK Defence Innovation | UKDI
James Gavin, Deputy Director, UK Defence Innovation & Head of Technology, UKDI, on the key message delegates should take away after his speaking session at DPRTE 2026.
Strategic Defence Review & SME Action Plan: What UK Defence Suppliers Need to Know
The June 2025 Strategic Defence Review and SME Action Plan mark a major shift for UK defence suppliers, with new priorities around capability investment, supply chain resilience, sovereign production and SME participation. With the MOD aiming to increase annual direct and indirect SME spend to £7.5 billion by 2028, the report highlights major opportunities across […]
Opening the Door for SMEs in Defence: Access, Innovation and Growth
This report explores how the UK defence market is becoming more accessible to SMEs and non-traditional suppliers, as rising defence investment, new MOD structures and early-stage market intelligence reshape the way businesses compete. It examines where defence spending is going, how the MOD is working to reduce barriers through initiatives such as the Defence Office […]
UK Defence Procurement 2026: The £65 Billion Opportunity
The UK defence sector is entering one of its most significant periods of transformation in decades, driven by increased spending, geopolitical instability, procurement reform and a renewed focus on industrial resilience. This report sets out the scale of the opportunity for defence suppliers in 2026, including a target of £65 billion in defence spending, major […]
Grahame Steed, BIP Solutions
Andrew Kinniburgh, Make UK Defence
John Kite, MOD
Primes Warn Scottish Defence Supply Chain Held Back
Scottish Affairs Committee hears from BAE Systems, Babcock, Leonardo and QinetiQ on supply chain bottlenecks, SME risk and the urgent need for the Defence Investment Plan. The leaders of four UK defence primes have told the Scottish Affairs Committee that the pace of MoD procurement, an uneven distribution of SME spend, and continued uncertainty over […]
First Sea Lord Announces “Hybrid Navy” Vision and New “Northern Navies” Alliance
General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, First Sea Lord, has unveiled a landmark transformation strategy for the Royal Navy, committing to a “Hybrid Navy” that integrates crewed, uncrewed, and autonomous platforms to meet escalating global threats. Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Sir Gwyn outlined a blueprint to dramatically increase the Royal Navy’s mass and […]