Britain’s hypersonic challenge: Strategic opportunities and risks

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18 November 2024 at 18:00 19:00 GMT

The Council on Geostrategy is pleased to invite you to our upcoming public panel event, ‘Britain’s hypersonic challenge: Strategic opportunities and risks’, taking place on Monday, 18th November 2024, from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, at the Palace of Westminster.

This event is part of our Strategic Advantage Cell programme, which examines how the United Kingdom can maximise its influence and achieve national objectives with greater efficiency and effectiveness. The programme focuses on how the UK can enhance its strategic position in relation to competitors, addressing key challenges in British defence and security.

This instalment marks the launch of the policy paper by William Freer, Britain’s hypersonic challenge: Strategic opportunities and risks. The paper explores what hypersonic weapons are and what new military capabilities they provide. The paper provides an overview of the different hypersonic weapons Britain’s allies and adversaries have developed or are developing and what the case is for Britain to acquire hypersonic weapons. The paper concludes with an explanation of the current approach the UK is taking and what the implications of limited resources are for this. The panel will seek to bring out the themes and topics explored in the paper.

The panel will be chaired by The Rt. Hon. the Baroness Neville-Jones DCMG, and will include Stuart Cutting, Senior Business Development Manager, Lockheed Martin UK; William Freer, Research Fellow on National Security; Dr Julia Muravska, Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Freeman Air and Space Institute, King’s College London; and Cdre. (Rtd.) Peter Olive OBE, Senior Adjunct Fellow, Pacific Forum.

Stuart Cutting

  • Senior Business Development Manager, Lockheed Martin UK
    Stuart Cutting has worked for Lockheed Martin UK since September 2016, and is a Senior Business Development Manager based in Ampthill, Bedfordshire. His portfolio covers a wide range of topics, from space and geospatial intelligence, to missile defence, hypersonics and directed energy weapons. He is also on the advisory board for the Royal United Services Institute’s Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI), supporting the development of nuclear deterrence thinking and engagement across industry, government and academia. Prior to joining Lockheed Martin, Stuart had a 26 year career as a civil servant with the UK Ministry of Defence, working his way through roles in finance, security, public and parliamentary engagement, nuclear deterrent policy and Ballistic Missile Defence policy – his final posting before leaving government was the threat lead for the UK Missile Defence Centre.

William Freer

  • Research Fellow (National Security), Council on Geostrategy
    William Freer is a Research Fellow in National Security and leads the Strategic Advantage Cell with Gabriel Elefteriu. He is also an Associate Fellow at the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre. A War Studies graduate from King’s College London, his academic work focused on British-American grand strategy in the Cold War and post-Cold War era, especially how Britain managed military overstretch, economic stagnation, and national security during the withdrawal from ‘East of Suez’ (1957-1971). He previously worked as a consultant for a firm which specialised in research, advisory work and government procurement, both in Britain and internationally.

Dr Julia Muravska

  • Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Freeman Air and Space Institute, King’s College London
    Dr Julia Muravska is a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Freeman Air and Space Institute at King’s College London and a Senior Associate Fellow at the NATO Defence College (NDC). Julia is also an independent defence analyst and consultant. Her research focuses on defence industry, defence acquisition and innovation, as well as new technologies in defence. She has a particular interest in Ukraine. Julia previously worked in policy research, management consulting, academia, and the NGO sector. She has 14 years of experience leading research and analysis in the fields of defence industry, policy, and innovation. Julia holds a PhD and MSc in international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), as well as an Honours BA in international relations from the University of Toronto.

Cdre. (Rtd.) Peter Olive OBE

  • Senior Adjunct Fellow, Pacific Forum
    Peter Olive OBE is a seasoned UK defence specialist focused on the Indo-Pacific, with over a decade of experience advising on geostrategy and leading deployments to the region. A former Royal Navy officer and senior defence strategist, he has commanded and participated in numerous operations in Britain and internationally, working with NATO, the EU, and multiple US-led coalitions and partnerships. In his final role in government, Peter led on the UK’s seventh edition of Global Strategic Trends, a pivotal geostrategic analysis report which will inform the current Strategic Defence Review. Peter is a Senior Adjunct Fellow at the Pacific Forum in Hawaii and a Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), who has published works with both institutions. As a Senior Advisor at Herminius Strategic Intelligence, he provides geostrategic counsel to various organisations and corporations, leveraging his expertise in defence and strategic policy.

The Rt. Hon. the Baroness Neville-Jones DCMG

  • Minister of Security (2010-2011)
    The Rt. Hon. the Baroness Neville-Jones DCMG is a member of the House of Lords as well as a member of the Council on Geostrategy’s Advisory Board. She has a long career in national security and is presently a member of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy in the Houses of Parliament. She was Prime Minister David Cameron’s National Security Adviser in Opposition becoming Minister for Security and Counter-Terrorism and a member of National Security Council for two years from 2010 to 2011. Prior to her parliamentary career, Baroness Neville-Jones worked in foreign affairs having been a member of the British Diplomatic Service from 1963 to 1991.

Tickets

Please note that we reserve the right to withdraw registrations. For more information, please contact [email protected].

Venue

Palace of Westminster

Palace of Westminster
London,SW1A 0AAUnited Kingdom
View Venue Website