At the latest stop on the Industrial Strategy Roadshow - co-hosted by CBI and Lloyds at NCC - the spotlight was on defence and advanced manufacturing.
The event brought together voices from across the sector: defence primes, SMEs, academics, investors, regional leaders and government.
The brief was simple, the stakes high - How do we turn the ambition of the UK Defence Industrial Strategy into real, measurable delivery?
The context is shifting. There’s renewed political backing for defence as a national priority - not just for security, but as a catalyst for growth, innovation and reindustrialisation.
But this isn’t a theoretical conversation anymore. It’s operational. It’s urgent. And it depends on decisions being made now.
This is what came through - clearly and repeatedly.
1. Defence is becoming a test case for reindustrialisation
For the first time in decades, defence is being recognised not just as a cost centre, but as a lever for productivity, innovation, and regional strength. That’s a shift. But translating political ambition into national capability will demand changes to how we build, how we buy, and how we work together.
2. Sovereignty isn’t a solo act
Sovereign capability won’t come from top-down procurement or siloed innovation. It’s a team sport. That means long-term partnerships between primes, SMEs, universities, government, and finance - with shared delivery goals and fewer transactional relationships.The prize: a supply chain that’s resilient because it’s distributed, not dependent.
3. The constraint is skills - and it’s already biting
In places like the Southwest, we’re seeing growing demand and limited workforce supply. That’s the hard edge of this challenge.
If we want to scale faster, we need a visible skills escalator - from schools through to technical colleges and advanced apprenticeships - so that the next generation see defence not just as a viable sector, but a future they want to help build.
4. Confidence drives capacity
There’s no shortage of ambition in the UK supply base. But to unlock investment in people, kit and capability, companies need clarity. That means visible pipelines, stable funding, and procurement that doesn’t punish pace or innovation.
In short - if government wants more industrial agility, it needs to get more predictable.
5. Dual-use tech and exports are not side projects
Export-led growth, and civil-defence crossover, are now central. The UK has a deep well of IP - but our challenge is scale and adoption.
We need to get better at moving from prototype to platform and doing so in a way that makes commercial and sovereign sense.
Why it matters - and why this moment is different
The UK doesn’t have time for another cycle of strategy without delivery. Geopolitical risk is rising. The economic imperative to rebuild domestic capacity is clear.
Defence is one of the few areas where we can act quickly - and where that action has a multiplier effect - on jobs, skills, technology and export capability.
But let’s also be clear - Defence is not aggression.
Effective deterrence is layered, and a resilient industrial base sits at its foundation, enabling capability, readiness and long-term strategic autonomy.
At NCC, we’re already working with partners across this spectrum to de-risk innovation, grow engineering capability, and help UK industry move from pilot to production. It’s not theory. It’s delivery in action.
If you’re serious about building capability - we want to hear from you.
Whether you’re shaping policy, leading a business, or developing the next generation of engineers — this sector needs your voice.