Navigating the UK Defence Marketplace: Policy, Investment and Opportunity in 2026 and Beyond

As the UK enters a period of sustained defence investment, suppliers to the defence sector face both significant opportunity and increasing complexity. 

This pre event webinar, held in conjunction with our Event Partner Defence Contracts InternationL (DCI) brings together policy insight and supplier-facing intelligence to explore what the defence marketplace will look like in 2026 and beyond. Drawing on key themes from DPRTE 2026, alongside MakeUK Defence’s role in connecting suppliers with buyers, this session will help attendees understand how government priorities, industrial strategy and long-term investment plans are reshaping the defence supply chain. 

Grahame Steed and Andrew Kinninburgh will examine the implications of the Strategic Defence Review, the Defence Industrial Strategy, and the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan, with a particular focus on what suppliers — especially SMEs — should be doing now to position themselves for success. 

What the Webinar Will Cover 

• The key defence policy and market trends shaping the UK defence environment in 2026 and beyond 

• Practical insights from DPRTE 2026 — what buyers are looking for and where opportunity is emerging 

• The role of MakeUK in increasing supply chain resilience 

• How suppliers can engage more effectively with the MOD during a period of increased defence spending 

• What SMEs should understand about working with prime contractors and Tier 1 suppliers 

• Insights into MakeUK Defence’s Meet the Buyer (Prime Contractors) Zone at DPRTE 2026

This pre event webinar is free to attend. Click below to register.