Digital Sovereignty: Traditional Defence Lessons for a New Era
Luca Leone
In defence, sovereignty has always been visible. It sat in domestically built equipment, in offset agreements that gave local industry a stake, and in policies that guaranteed freedom of action. These measures ensured the UK could act on its own terms when it mattered most.
Today the picture is different. Recent geopolitical tensions have shown that sovereignty is no longer just about physical assets. The UK depends heavily on digital infrastructure and services that often lie outside its control. Data flows, cloud platforms and software supply chains now shape national decision-making, protect citizens and project influence abroad. The crucial question is no longer only who builds our platforms, but who owns and operates the systems that underpin our most critical capabilities.
This is where digital sovereignty meets supply chain resilience. Hidden dependencies can undermine national autonomy: a data centre in another jurisdiction, software maintained by a single developer, or subcontractors with unclear ownership. When pressure builds, these weak points are exposed. Resilience therefore means more than knowing where data sits. It means designing digital ecosystems that give the UK visibility, confidence and the ability to act independently when stress levels rise. The urgency grows as AI accelerates decision cycles and compresses the OODA loop.
The UK’s investment in The Cyber Growth Action Plan is a chance to bring established these principles into the digital age. Where once sovereignty meant control of factories and fleets, today it must mean confidence in the resilience and trustworthiness of digital foundations. That does not require turning away from partners. It requires developing understanding and controlling those dependencies so that no external actor can compromise national freedom of action.
Digital sovereignty is about more than security; it is about confidence in the choices we make as a nation. If the UK can embed resilience into its digital foundations, it will not only protect its freedom of action but also strengthen its position as a trusted partner in an uncertain world.
