What do we need to do now to make sure UK defence is prepared?

At Farnborough Airshow, I joined a panel discussing how we unlock more defence innovation and help UK tech start-ups and SMEs succeed. The conversation kept returning to one question. If a crisis came, could government and industry mobilise, integrate and scale capability at the pace it would demand? The honest answer is that our readiness depends less on purely having the talent – we do – and more on the work we do now to connect it.

The UK has real strengths. We have world-class universities, growing small companies, primes investing in new technology and a government committed to making defence procurement work. The task is to link them together before we need them, not during a crisis.

That starts with further strengthening connections between smaller companies and primes today. Too many promising firms stall in the gap between a working prototype and a contracted programme. We can close that gap by opening genuine on-ramps into the supply chain and sharing the technical infrastructure smaller companies need. We have lots of examples of this working already, such as in opening up our Naval Combat Management System through a software development kit, which lets smaller firms integrate their own software into a Type 45 Destroyer. We've also seen it work with companies like Sentinel Unmanned, who we have helped integrate laser targeting and communication on to its long-range drone platform.

We also need to think now about surge capacity. If demand rose sharply, we'd need commercial manufacturers able to switch to defence production quickly. That means identifying those companies today, understanding their capabilities and helping them meet the reliability and security standards defence requires. Ruggedising a commercial product for the front line takes time and planning. It's far better done in advance than under pressure.

For start-ups, innovation is their lifeblood, so we all need to help make sure they get a fair return on their investment in technology – their intellectual property is their most valuable asset. Primes like us also have a role in helping these small firms navigate complex military procurement processes, while giving customers the assurance they need.

At Farnborough Airshow this year, we hosted 19 start-ups to pitch their ideas on our stand. This meant they could reach a range of our customers as well as lots of our own tech professionals. This is part of our work with MassChallenge on its accelerator programme to identify and support entrepreneurs with groundbreaking technologies. We’re doing this through BAE Systems Launchpad, which backs early-stage start-ups with capital, mentorship and a route into the wider defence ecosystem.

Today, BAE Systems works with more than 2,000 UK SMEs, investing over £900 million each year across our UK supply chain.  These relationships are the foundation of our resilient industrial base. The investments we make now compound over time. Preparedness isn't something we can create overnight. We need to continue building it steadily, together.