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14 Oct 24. Agenda for the Make UK Defence Summit is almost feature complete. Alongside Rt Hon Maria Eagle MP, Minister for Defence Procurement, as keynote speakers we have Paul Livingstone, CEO of Lockheed Martin UK, Rebecca Weston, MD of Warheads Group at Defence Nuclear Organisation, Anita Friend, head of Defence & Security Accelerator and James Gavin, head of Future Capabilities Innovation. There will be one or 2 more announced, so the eyes to the skies!
Our breakout sessions are ready to go with panels on Scaling Up, Opportunities in Nuclear Supply Chains, Working with NATO and Additive Manufacturing in Defence. We’ve panellists from NATO, DSTL, Atlas Elektronik, KNDS UK, Perfect Bore Manufacturing, Innovate UK, Karve International, MBDA, Lockheed Martin, NIA, Darchem and AWE. And our Meet the Buyer has almost 25 buying organisations confirmed with more to follow (see details below). The 2024 edition of the Make UK Defence Summit is shaping up to be the biggest and best so far.
16 Oct 24. Calls for African solutions to African maritime security challenges. The 5th Sea Power for Africa Symposium 2024 (SPAS 24) is currently underway at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. This event, hosted by the South African Navy from 15 to 16 October, brings together naval leaders, defence experts, policymakers and industry stakeholders from across Africa and beyond, including representatives from BRICS+ and key international partners.
The African continent’s vast and strategically crucial maritime domain faces numerous challenges that threaten economic development and regional stability. With 38 coastal states and island nations, Africa’s maritime security is not only vital for its own prosperity but also for global trade, as over 90% of the continent’s trade and 70% of its oil are transported via sea routes.
Themed “Good Order at Sea in the African Maritime Domain,” the symposium aims to address key maritime security challenges, including sustainable ocean resource use and threats like piracy, illegal fishing, human trafficking, and pollution.
“The 5th Sea Power for Africa Symposium 2024 is currently the only rendezvous on the african continent that brings together senior maritime/navy minds with a strategic blend of maritime academia that interrogates maritime threats and challenges for the entire continent,” said Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga in her opening address.
“The strategic importance of holding regular Sea Power for Africa Symposiums is critical for the eradication of current as well as future challenges within the African maritime domain,” she continued.
In his welcome address, Vice Admiral Monde Lobese, Chief of the South African Navy, noted that Africa is strategically located between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, yet it struggles to secure its maritime domain. He stressed the urgency of regional cooperation to enhance African maritime security.
Reflecting on the vulnerabilities facing Africa’s coastal regions, Lobese emphasised the need for African navies to become more self-reliant, noting that Africa has a major challenge in terms of not having the ability to secure the continent in the maritime domain environment.
Lobese further noted that Africa’s reliance on external partners to protect its waters is unsustainable. “Our friendly nations must come and join us at sea, not us going there to join them at sea.”
He also underscored the importance of controlling illegal activities like drug trafficking, human trafficking, and illegal fishing. For example, South Africa alone loses approximately R6 bn annually due to illegal fishing, which, multiplied across the continent, translates into vast economic losses.
Lobese pointed to the urgent need for African states to bolster their naval capabilities, especially Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. Regular joint naval exercises are essential to honing skills and ensuring interoperability, Lobese said. He proposed scheduling maritime exercises with other African countries every alternate year, with international collaborations in the intervening years. This strategy aims to keep African navies on par with global standards while fostering closer regional cooperation.
Central to Lobese’s message was the concept of “Sisonke,” an IsiXhosa word meaning “together” or “unity.” Lobese emphasized that maritime cooperation between African navies is essential for addressing shared threats. “African States have no choice but to be together, ‘Sisonke,’” he said.
In line with the Sisonke principle, Lobese suggested that patrols could extend across Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), allowing African navies to operate seamlessly in each other’s waters. Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) between coastal states, such as South Africa’s agreements with Tanzania, Mozambique and Namibia, offer a framework for coordinated security efforts.
Lobese called for the establishment of the Combined Exclusive Maritime Zone of Africa (CEMZA), a concept that would foster cooperation across borders, streamline maritime administration and promote intra-African trade.
“CEMZA would assist in ensuring the African continent’s maritime security from an enforcement and governance point of view,” Lobese explained.
Lobese acknowledged that while the 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy was a significant step forward, much work remains to be done.
Strategy, 12 years ago, few or none of the objectives have been achieved, he said.
Critical components, such as the establishment of Regional Maritime Headquarters (MHQ) and Maritime Operational Coordination Centres (MOC) need to be prioritised to coordinate patrols effectively and enhance maritime security.
Lobese identified Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) as a vital tool for ensuring security, proposing the integration of national MDA centres with regional ones to improve intelligence sharing. He also urged for the prioritisation of Maritime Operational Coordination (MOC) Centres and regional Maritime Headquarters (MHQ) to strengthen collaborative patrols across Africa’s maritime zones. Memorandums of Agreement (MOA) for information-sharing could help overcome integration challenges.
Lobese stressed that African navies must also take on coast guard functions, given the lack of dedicated coast guard resources across many countries. “Africans have no choice but to work on the principle of Sisonke,” he said. “Cooperation between navies in conducting patrols in the maritime arena of Africa is essential if Africa is to meet the emerging threats and challenges to its maritime security.”
SPAS 24 comes at a time when maritime issues such as the blue economy and maritime domain awareness are moving to the forefront of global policy discussions. With global trade shifting through African waters, particularly with disruptions in the Red Sea, the role of African navies in safeguarding the continent’s maritime interests is more critical than ever.
SPAS 24 marks a renewed commitment to finding African solutions to African challenges. The discussions held over the two days will set the groundwork for future cooperation, resource sharing and joint exercises. The symposium is running alongside Exercise Ibsamar 2024, between the South African, Brazilian, and Indian Navies.
(Source: https://www.defenceweb.co.za/)
18 Oct 24. Farnborough International Space Show backed by UK Government.
Registration now live – 19-20 March 2025. The UK government has endorsed the Farnborough International Space Show as it prepares to convene the global space community in the UK next year.
In the Houses of Commons on 16 October, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle, confirmed his attendance at the inaugural Farnborough International Space Show, saying: “Farnborough [International] has done an astonishing job at getting British aviation into the global news” and “the fact that Farnborough is now getting into space, is something we should celebrate as a country”.
Taking place 19-20 March 2025 at Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre in Hampshire, UK, the location of the world-famous Farnborough International Airshow, the event is designed to pioneer the commercial space age and advance space domain defence.
Developed ‘by the sector for the sector’, the must-attend annual exhibition and conference will connect the space ecosystem across industry, defence, government and academia on a global scale, including an audience of major space manufacturers and suppliers, senior buyers and influencers, government departments and agencies, and C-Suite professionals from across the space value chain – upstream, midstream and downstream.
Utilising both Farnborough’s recognised and trusted Business Connections Exchange and International Delegations programmes, visitors and exhibitors have an unrivalled opportunity to develop meaningful relationships and create business value all in one place.
Across three theatres, the conference will provide world-class thought leadership addressing six key themes – Commercial Space, Operations & Manufacturing, Sustainability in Space, Security & Defence, Space Exploration and Earth Observation.
To provide all-encompassing business and industry support, Farnborough International Space Show will deliver a range of features to advance businesses of all sizes, including a Space Solutions Zone, UK Government Hub, ‘Launch Pad’ for start-ups, ‘Meet the Engineer’ networking and Poster & Academia Zone. Exhibitors, at the event include Viasat, Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, KIPSE, Global Spaceport Alliance, Space South Central, Magdrive, International Supply Chain Management, Rayfast, Cornwall Space Cluster, and many more.
The event will be co-located with the 40th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment (ISRSE-40), a world-renowned conference taking place on UK soil for the first time in its history, to share crucial, emerging knowledge in pursuit of protecting the planet and its people. Taking place 17-21 March 2025, the Symposium will host a range of participants dedicated to the advancement of remote sensing technologies and the data analysis pivotal to Earth Observation capabilities and space applications, including senior leaders from the likes of NASA, ESA, DLR, JAXA and ASI.
This co-location between the two events creates an exclusive opportunity for the global space industry to access the whole ecosystem – upstream and downstream – in one place, and at the same time. By convening agency, government, academic and industrial audiences together, the events are enabling an interdisciplinary approach to the modern challenges in the space sector.
To register for your free pass or for more information, visit: https://farnboroughspaceshow.com/
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DSEI 2025 – POWERING PROGRESS, DEFINING YOUR FUTURE
DSEI connects governments, national armed forces, industry thought leaders and the entire defence & security supply chain on a global scale. With a range of valuable opportunities for networking, a platform for business, access to relevant content & live-action demonstrations, the DSEI community can strengthen relationships, share knowledge and engage in the latest capabilities across the exhibition’s Aerospace, Land, Naval, Security & Joint Zones.
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