Manufacturing is an important topic that has come up in our recent interviews. From the war in Ukraine to a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan, the new geopolitics points to an urgent need for the NATO alliance to prepare to mass produce new battlefield technologies for future conflicts, and to ensure a resilient supply chain and industrial base.
As this topic is developing rapidly, we have come together with US Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) to produce a short, impactful session during the Munich Security Conference Innovation Day.
Called ‘The Future of Defence Tech Manufacturing & Innovation’, the event will run from 11.00-17.00 on February 13th at the Munich Literaturhaus, and will include panels, fireside chats, and networking. Expect to hear from speakers across industry, government, and the military, alongside investors and startups all focussed on this important emerging sector.
Some of our confirmed speakers are from DIU, Firestorm, and Frankenburg Technologies.
This event will focus specifically on how manufacturing and industry need to support defence technology innovation, but also how innovation can improve manufacturing. In a previous piece on Resilience Media, we quoted one Ukrainian predicting that if the war is frozen by US President-Elect Donald Trump, then the NATO alliance will enter a four year arms race with Russia. That will shift from needing to have the latest drones now, to being able to mass produce a million of the latest drones whenever they are needed. That moves the innovation focus squarely onto manufacturing.
From Colonel Glenn McCartan USMC, DIU Representative to U.S. European Command:
“In today’s era of geopolitics, one of the most concerning issues is the state of the West’s defence industrial base. New technologies like drones have emerged on the battlefield and have forever changed the character of war. Like bullets, these systems need to be produced quickly, cheaply and at scale. But the economics and political realities to improve defense manufacturing are laden by complex factors, which is why this event seeks to dive deep into why manufacturing and innovation are so important today within the context of recent crises and future scenarios.”
The short notice at which we’re pulling this event together underlines the urgency behind the topic, which is something Resilience Media and DIU believe is fundamental to our defence and security.
The Future of Defence Manufacturing & Innovation event is free to attend. Tickets are limited and will be approved by Munich Security Conference.
We will announce more speakers over the coming weeks. We’ll look forward to seeing you in Munich.
