09 May 25. Defence Committee to examine UK commitments to NATO and the role of SMEs in UK defence industry.
Evidence Session: The UK Contribution to European Security
Tuesday 13 May 2025, 10.30, CR5
Watch on parliamentlive.tv
The Defence Committee holds a further evidence session examining the contribution from UK Defence to European security, with a focus on the UK’s contribution to NATO and the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in increasing the UK’s defence industrial capacity. Committee Members will hear from expert witnesses, including those within industry. The session will take place at 10.30, on Tuesday 13 May.
Dr Rob Johnson will give evidence in the first panel, during which Members are likely to address the ability of the UK to fulfil its NATO commitments and the need for national resilience. Questions may also cover the degree of interoperability within NATO.
In the second panel, the Committee will hear from witnesses from Defence SMEs about the role that SMEs play in contributing to the UK’s defence industrial capacity and national resilience. Questions are likely to explore the relationship between SMEs, prime contractors, and the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Witnesses are likely to discuss the MOD’s SME Hub and their key asks of the MOD ahead of its Defence Industrial Strategy.
10.30, Tuesday 13 May:
- Dr Rob Johnson – Former Director of the Secretary of State’s Office of Net Assessment and Challenge (SONAC), Director of the Strategy, Statecraft, & Technology Research Centre, Pembroke College, University of Oxford
11.30:
- Dr Alastair McGibbon – Head of Semiconductors, Space Forge Ltd
- Ken Turley – former CEO, RUK Advanced Systems Ltd