Integration and orchestration: A new foundation for UK defence and resilience

Guest blog by Richard Davies, Country Managing Partner at Netcompany #DefTechWeek2025

Richard Davies

Country Managing Partner, Netcompany

To stay ahead in an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape, the British defence sector must be able to gather information from source, communicate at pace, and orchestrate the appropriate response.

This is a key takeaway from the 2025 Strategic Defence Review (SDR), which sets out one of the most ambitious modernisation agendas for the armed forces in decades. It recognises what many in defence have long understood: that the UK’s strength no longer lies in scale or firepower, but in its ability to integrate and adapt – drawing together information, systems and partners into a coherent response to threat.

The SDR’s central vision is for Britain, as part of Europe and NATO, to become a leading tech-enabled defence power by 2035 – one that can deter and combat threats through constant innovation at a wartime pace. It calls for major investment in the tools needed to realise this vision: open architectures, shared technical standards and a common digital backbone that unites every domain – land, sea, air, space and cyber – into an integrated defence force.

This multi-domain focus reflects the reality of modern warfare and the need for greater resilience around critical national infrastructure (CNI). The UK and wider Europe face heightened threat levels across a myriad of theatres – from the escalation risks surrounding the conflict in Ukraine, to energy instability at home, to a very different leadership style in the Oval Office.

Fixing the foundations

Years of fragmented digital investment, inconsistent data standards and skills shortages have constrained the MOD and Home Office’ ability to build the resilient digital infrastructure it needs. There is now an “urgent priority is to fix the foundations,” as the SDR puts it.

In defence and resilience, however, “innovation” often comes with an association of risk – particularly when modernising decades of complex infrastructure. And while legacy transformation is necessary to build future-ready capabilities, radical rip-and-replace approaches can do more harm than good, disrupting critical delivery and introducing vulnerabilities.

An alternative approach is to add an orchestration layer that sits on top existing systems, enabling seamless data flow and operational integration without discarding the value already embedded in legacy platforms. By doing so, the services feeding data into the orchestration layer can then be updated or swapped out, without compromising delivery.

Whatever approach is taken, digital sovereignty must be built in from the start – ensuring that as systems evolve, control over data, security and decision-making remains firmly in trusted hands.

Data is the lifeblood of modern defence and resilience. And it must be treated as a strategic asset, not an afterthought. Key to delivering the goals of the SDR is enabling data to flow seamlessly across domains – while remaining under the control of the UK and its NATO allies.

From fragmentation to integrated orchestration

Orchestration offers a path to deliver all this. The integration and orchestration of complex data flows, using a digital control tower, enables departments and forces to work together to support real-time decision-making and cross-domain responses.

In UK defence, this would allow commanders, policymakers and civil authorities to respond to threats with speed and precision, supported by AI-driven prediction and insights. It enables day-zero readiness across domains – land, air, sea, cyber, and space – and across sectors, from logistics and energy to public safety.

This vision incorporates resilience and multi-agency readiness, with all relevant departments acting in concert on behalf of society.

The technology to enable this in defence isn’t theoretical – it already exists.

The road to 2035

VERÁ, developed by Netcompany, was designed to enable orchestration across military and civil domains to deliver real-time coordination, situational awareness, and ongoing resilience. Built using elements of our proven Pulse platform, which orchestrates complex ecosystems such as airports and transport networks, VERÁ creates a digital twin of the defence and CNI ecosystem, consolidating real-time data, alerts, visuals, and context in a single display.

Enabling users to understand what’s happening, why, and what to do next, the platform can be used to directly support the strategic priorities of the SDR. For example, by providing the digital backbone necessary for multi-domain operations, with the agility needed in today’s fast-moving geopolitical environment.

Such a system offers a pragmatic approach to futureproofing: rather than constantly building completely new systems, the MOD can enhance and upgrade existing capabilities over time and plug in new technologies to replace legacy when necessary. Doing so enables incremental improvements without disruptive rip-and-replace cycles.

Orchestration allows for the transition from reactive defence to proactive resilience. It’s how we ensure our armed forces and critical national infrastructure are ready for tomorrow’s challenges: by enabling them to be connected, informed, and continuously updated. It’s what enables us to move, think and act as one. It’s the key to our response – no matter the threat.

Operationalising DefTech campaign week 2025 #DefTechWeek2025

techUK has launched its Operationalising DefTech 2025 campaign week, highlighting how emerging technologies can strengthen defence capability and accelerate innovation across the sector. The campaign showcases member insights, practical use cases, and opportunities to collaborate on the future of defence technology.

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Operationalising DefTech: Defence campaign week launch

Launching techUK’s Defence Campaign Week, Operationalising DefTech, techUK is pleased to welcome John Cunningham, the Director of UK Defence Innovation within the Ministry of Defence to brief members on MOD’s evolving approach to new technologies, alongside the co-founder of Anduril Industries Christian Brose, and Sara Sharkey from Prolinx.

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