Ready for 2030: How to Accelerate UK Defence

Photo by Cpl James Braithwaite/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2026

The UK faces the credible threat of war by 2030. Russia continues to wage war in Ukraine and its hostile activities against the UK and Europe have grown bolder: drone and airspace incursions, threats in space and below the waves, sabotage of critical infrastructure, and efforts to subvert elections and divide societies. Meanwhile, conflict continues in the Middle East whilst the security challenge from China is growing.

As NATO moves to re-arm and strengthen its wartime preparedness, the question is no longer whether the challenge is urgent, but whether it can be met quickly enough. The UK has a critical role to play, but years of underfunding have left defence, industry, and society struggling to keep pace with the demands of modern warfare.

Ready for 2030?

Our one-day conference will bring together senior decision-makers from the public and private sectors alongside leading academic experts and commentators to examine a central question: What steps can the UK government take to accelerate readiness for a conflict as soon as 2030?

Sessions across the day will consider capabilities, the industrial base and the wider machinery of government and will feature a keynote speech from Lord Robertson, who led the 2025 Strategic Defence Review and served as Secretary General of NATO, alongside panels with senior officials and experts from across the UK defence policy landscape.

RAND Europe