UK defence and security: An overview

Our Whitehall Briefings connect Whitehall officials and other key stakeholders for discussions on a range of topical geopolitical, geoeconomic and geostrategic issues, as well as domestic issues associated with the UK’s leadership on the global stage. A prominent Whitehall official discusses their knowledge and expertise before invited guests engage in discussion and offer valuable input and ideas.

The Whitehall Briefings take place once a month at the In and Out Naval and Military Club. Events are by invitation only and take place strictly off the record.

Keynote speaker

Brig. Mark Goldsack

Director, UK Defence and Security Exports, Department for Business and Trade

Brigadier Mark Goldsack is Director, UK Defence and Security Exports (UKDSE) at the Department for Business and Trade. Prior to joining the UKDSE, he spent over 30 years in the British Army. He has held a variety of senior roles, particularly in the defence engagement capability and equipment areas in the UK and overseas, which include being Director of Army Equipment, running the Ministry of Defence Urgent Operational Requirements and Counter Improvised Explosive Devices programmes supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and being a Defence Adviser in New Delhi.

Honorary chair

Dr Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter OBE

Honorary Chair, Geostrategy Forum

Dr Carl Hunter OBE is Chairman of Coltraco Ultrasonics, a high-exporting advanced manufacturer. He is also: Chairman of the British Exporters Association; Director-General of the Durham Institute of Research, Development and Invention; Director of the Centre of Underwater Acoustic Analysis; Professor-in-Practice at Durham University Business School; Visiting Fellow of the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre; and Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology.

Venue