As the global security landscape becomes increasingly complex, collaboration between government, industry and supply chain partners is more important than ever in strengthening the UK's defence capability and resilience.
Against this backdrop, the Institute for Collaborative Working (ICW) hosted its Collaborative Leaders in Defence Lunch at the House of Lords on 14 October 2026, sponsored by Leidos, ICW's longstanding Ambassador Member.
The event brought together senior leaders from government, the defence sector and industry to explore the vital role of collaboration in strengthening the UK's defence capability, industrial resilience and supply chains.
Distinguished speakers shared valuable perspectives on the evolving global security landscape, the challenges facing the defence sector and the importance of working together to address them.
Lord David Evans of Watford, ICW's President, highlighted the increasingly complex global security environment and the need to strengthen defence preparedness, industrial capability and supply chain resilience. He emphasised that addressing today's challenges requires closer collaboration between government, industry, SMEs and international partners.
As Lord Evans observed, "Collaboration in defence is no longer simply commercially desirable. In the world we now inhabit, it has become strategically important."
Lord Vernon Coaker, UK Minister of State for Defence, addressed the challenges facing the sector and the importance of defence investment. He highlighted the vital contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in driving innovation, supporting local economies, creating employment opportunities and strengthening the UK's defence industrial base.
Jaynie Davies MCIPS, Director at Leidos, a technology, engineering and science solutions company supporting defence and other critical sectors, highlighted the important role of SMEs in advancing UK defence capability, innovation and social value. She also drew attention to the joint ICW and Leidos paper, Structured Collaboration: Unlocking Social Value and Defence Capability Through the SME Community, which explores how structured collaboration can unlock SME expertise, strengthen supply chain resilience and deliver greater economic and social value.
Read the joint ICW and Leidos paper here.
Leidos also raised awareness of Scotty's, the military bereavement charity it supports, which provides vital support to children and young people from bereaved military families.
The discussions reinforced a central message: effective collaboration across government, industry and the wider defence community is essential to addressing complex challenges, strengthening the UK's defence capability and building long-term resilience.
Lord John Hannett OBE, Chairman of ICW, concluded the gathering by expressing his sincere thanks to Leidos for supporting this important event, to the distinguished speakers for sharing their insights, and to all ICW members and guests for contributing to valuable discussions.
The event reinforced the importance of closer collaboration between government, industry and supply chain partners in addressing the challenges facing the defence sector. ICW looks forward to continuing to advance collaborative working to strengthen defence capability, resilience and long-term value across the sector.
