The UK’s defence procurement minister, James Cartlidge, has pledged to adopt “more agile acquisition processes” in response to the pace of change in defence technology currently being witnessed in Ukraine.
Cartlidge told the DSEI defence industry trade fair that a greater focus was needed on innovation, and on sourcing “the £100 solution that can stop a £100mn threat”.
He also called on banks and other financial institutions to show defence SMEs more "respect". "ESG rules aren’t bad, per se, but have been applied wholly, misguidedly in relation to defence," he said. "[Banks are] penalising defence companies in a multitude of ways – from facing more expensive finance to being denied basic banking facilities."