OVERVIEW

The contemporary threat landscape has fundamentally blurred the lines between the front line and the home front. True deterrence and national defense no longer rely solely on deployable military hardware; they require a comprehensive, "whole-of-society" approach to national resilience.

This interactive webinar will explore how national security boundaries are shifting and why the UK must urgently address vulnerabilities within its domestic infrastructure, civil defence, and societal readiness. In an era defined by hybrid conflict, cyber warfare, and constant grey-zone provocations, safeguarding critical national infrastructure and state functionality requires an unprecedented level of coordination between government, the private sector, and the public.

Drawing from the strategic findings of the Strategic Defence Review, our speakers will dissect the practical realities of national mobilisation, industrial capability, and public-private defence partnerships. We will examine the critical steps required to pivot from a posture of reactive defence to one of sustained national resilience, ensuring the UK is equipped to withstand, adapt to, and recover from systemic disruptions, before moving to audience Q&A.  

 

Hear from:

General Sir Richard Barrons, 2025 Strategic Defence Review leader & Senior Consulting Fellow at the Royal Institute for International Affairs (Chatham House)

 

General Sir Richard Barrons served as Commander Joint Forces Command, one of the six ‘Chiefs of Staff’ leading the UK Armed Forces, 2013-2016, and responsible for 23,000 people worldwide and a budget of over £4 Bn.

 

His military career began as an artillery officer and included the last decade of the Cold War, leadership from Captain to General on military operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, and serving as the Director of all UK military operations as Lieutenant General.

 

Now with a portfolio of commercial interests, including as Co-Chairman of Universal Defence & Security Solutions and Global Defence Chair for Linden Park Partners, he advises on senior leadership, defence and national security matters - especially Digital Age transformation for 21st Century warfare - and is a regular media commentator. He was one of the leaders of the UK Prime Minister’s 2025 Strategic Defence Review and is a Senior Consulting Fellow at the Royal Institute for International Affairs, Chatham House.

 
Lady Olga Maitland, Founder, The Resilience Imperative

 

Lady Olga Maitland founded the Defence and Security Forum (DSF) in 1991, having spent the previous decade opposing the anti-nuclear movement. DSF brings together world-leading experts to confront the most challenging global defence and security issues of today.

 

A former journalist for the Sunday Express and the Daily Mail, Lady Olga remains a regular media commentator and speaker. She was Conservative MP for Sutton and Cheam from 1992 to 1997, serving as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Rt Hon Sir John Wheeler JP PC, Minister of State for Northern Ireland. She later co-founded and chaired the Algeria British Business Council (2005–2025).

 

In March 2026, Lady Olga founded The Resilience Imperative (TRI), a campaign to alert the British public to the hybrid warfare being waged against the UK by hostile states. TRI's mission is to build the public mandate and political momentum required to close the UK's security and resilience deficit: turning concern over hostile state threats into public demand for faster policy action, greater government investment, and sustainable national resilience.