Strategic Command Annual Conference 2021
The second annual Strategic Command conference took place at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in London
Copyright - MOD News Licence
The second annual UKStratCom Conference, Sharpening UK Defence’s Competitive Edge in the 2020s, took place on 26 May 2021 at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in London.
The event was opened by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace. Also speaking were Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter, Commander UKStratCom General Sir Patrick Sanders, and a host of speakers from Strategic Command, NATO allies and academia.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event was a hybrid conference with both the speakers and the audience able to attend in person or online.
Focusing on the key theme of integration, the conference looked at how and why integration is required as a response to the threats of the modern wold, how integration can be achieved between the military and wider government, and how the UK can integrate with its international allies and partners.
Addressing the conference, Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter said:
Integration is needed at every level of command from strategic, through operational to the tactical - as well as horizontally across the operational domains of maritime land, air, space and cyber. Hence we have charged Strategic Command with being the Front Line Command responsible for this integration.
Sharpening UK Defence’s Competitive Edge in the 2020s was the first major gathering for Strategic Command since the publication of the Integrated Review (IR) and Defence Command Paper, and speaking at the opening of the conference, Commander Strategic Command General Sir Patrick Sanders said:
At our inaugural conference last year I described the priorities I had for the IR: Cyber, Intelligence and Understanding, Special Operations and Multi-Domain Integration and how they come together in Strategic Command to strengthen our deterrence and our competitive edge. These now lie at the heart of the Integrated Review outcome. We’ve been given the resources and the responsibility to lead the transformation of Defence for the Information age; we’ve now got to deliver.
For further information please read: