Preparing the Future Force: What DSEI 2025 tells us about the next decade of defence
September 4, 2025
As DSEI 2025 prepares to open its doors in London next week, the global defence community turns its focus to a pivotal question: what does it take to prepare the future force?
In an era marked by escalating threats, digital disruption, and strategic uncertainty, this year’s theme, launched by UK Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin KCB ADC, sets the tone for a decisive decade in defence transformation.
“We must reimagine how we prepare our people, how we integrate technology, and how we work with allies to meet the threats of tomorrow,” Radakin said at the launch. “Preparing the future force is about agility, innovation, and strategic coherence.”
At the heart of DSEI 2025’s theme is an evolving recognition that modern conflict demands more than equipment. It demands systems that adapt, people who evolve, and partnerships that endure.
Here’s how this year’s DSEI is shaping the conversation.
Driving advantage: The digital battlefield at DSEI
One of the core pillars of preparing the future force is ‘Driving Advantage Through Digital Transformation’. From AI-powered situational awareness to quantum-enabled communications, digital technologies are not just supporting defence operations; they are redefining them.
DSEI 2025 offers a rare, real-world lens into how these capabilities are being operationalised today, especially within the Aerospace and Tech Zones, where autonomy, AI, and unmanned systems are taking centre stage.
Technology in action: Exhibitors bringing the future to life
TEKEVER AR3 EVO UAV: This is a modular UAS with maritime surveillance capabilities. It will be showcased alongside TEKEVER’s broader family of drones, including the AR5, which supports extended-range ISR missions.
TEKEVER, Europe’s leading provider of AI-driven autonomous systems, recently secured a new funding round fully backed by existing investors, including Ventura Capital, Baillie Gifford, the NATO Innovation Fund, Iberis Capital, and Crescent Cov, pushing its valuation beyond £1 billion. This positions TEKEVER as a true European DefTech leader.
Coinciding with this milestone, TEKEVER has launched Project OVERMATCH, a £400 million five-year development programme aimed at transforming the UK’s defence industry through investment in research, infrastructure, and technology. OVERMATCH will:
- Generate over 1,000 high-skilled jobs in the UK
- Expand UAS production locally
- Advance sovereign capabilities in AI-powered defence systems
Carmenta UAS Mission Kit: Carmenta brings sophisticated geospatial intelligence tools to support a range of defence applications, including:
- Aeronautical mission planning
- Counter-UAS solutions
- Battle management and ground operations
- Unmanned resupply and intelligence missions
Their software natively supports over 100 geospatial data formats, and offers real-time routing, visibility analysis, and compatibility with MIL-STD-2525 and NATO APP-6 overlays, delivering dynamic situational awareness on complex battlefields.
RSI Europe FPV Strike Drone: RSI specialises in remotely controlled military systems, with a strong focus on combat-proven technology developed in partnership with engineers, EOD specialists, and UAV operators in active war zones.
Their flagship systems include the RISE-1 remote explosives initiation platform and the Shpak FPV strike drone, a highly mobile, first-person quadcopter designed for battlefield precision.
RSI’s suite of solutions also taps into the military Internet of Things (IoT), integrating sensors (video, accelerometer, magnetic, etc.), advanced networking, and jamming-resistant communication systems, enhancing autonomy and mission resilience.
Together, these technologies illustrate how digital force multipliers are not just futuristic concepts, but operational realities delivering speed, accuracy, and survivability across domains.
As the MOD’s upcoming Strategic Defence Review (SDR) 2025 signals, the future force must be “threat-focused and tech-enabled.” DSEI provides a glimpse of what that looks like in practice.
Securing advantage: Speed, supply chains, and dual-use design
The second strategic pillar, ‘Securing Advantage’, tackles the structural enablers of military capability: agile acquisition and supply chain resilience.
At DSEI 2025, conversations will explore how modularity, 3D printing, and dual-use technologies are transforming defence procurement. New frameworks are emerging to rapidly adopt innovation, compress approval timelines, and bridge the gap between defence needs and industry delivery.
From lightweight, additive-manufactured aerospace components to secure, cross-border digital supply networks, the defence ecosystem is being challenged to think faster, build smarter, and scale securely.
Maintaining advantage: People at the core
Technology may be advancing rapidly, but people remain the enduring edge in defence. The third thematic focus, ‘Maintaining Advantage’, puts human capability at the centre.
DSEI 2025 explores how the future force is trained, retained, and inspired, from VR-based training to human-machine teaming. But the most visible expression of this commitment is the NextGen initiative, taking place on the final day of the event, 12 September.
NextGen is more than a talent attraction programme. It’s a bridge between schools, universities, and the defence industry. It aims to:
- Inspire early-career engagement
- Connect students with leading defence employers
- Showcase long-term career pathways in both industry and uniform
By aligning youth engagement with strategic capability development, NextGen ensures the future force is not only technically ready but humanly resilient.
Strategic Alignment: NATO, SAFE, and Global Readiness
This year’s DSEI theme is strongly aligned with the UK MOD’s evolving strategic priorities from the SAFE defence framework (Secure, Agile, Forward, Engaged) to the 2030 Integrated Force Structure. These priorities emphasise flexibility, deterrence, and technological superiority.
DSEI 2025 also mirrors NATO’s push for:
- Interoperability across allied forces
- Joint readiness and rapid response
- Secure and scalable tech adoption
With modern threats ranging from grey-zone interference and cyber warfare to peer-level conflict and space-based disruption, allied coherence is no longer optional but it’s operationally essential.
By bringing together international military commands, MOD leaders, global industry, and government stakeholders, DSEI 2025 creates a uniquely strategic ecosystem for collaboration.
Explore the zones: Innovation across every domain
DSEI UK 2025 features a comprehensive range of dedicated zones spanning land, sea, air, space, cyber, and joint operations. Each is carefully curated to foster collaboration, showcase cutting-edge solutions, and anticipate future threats.
The Aerospace Zone is where innovation in air power takes flight. With a strong focus on uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), multi-domain integration, and networked air capabilities, the zone will showcase:
- Next-generation aircraft
- Advanced propulsion systems
- Electronic warfare (EW) platforms
- Sensor fusion and avionics
The active participation of the Royal Air Force adds a unique operational lens to the zone, connecting exhibitors directly with the needs of front-line commands.
Other key zones, including Cyber, Space, Naval, Land, and Future Tech, offer equally rich opportunities to understand and influence the future battlespace.
Connecting innovation to operational need
DSEI UK is a pivotal opportunity to engage directly with key decision-makers, ensuring innovations are seen by those who matter most. This includes unrivalled access to international governments, Ministries of Defence, and military officials, alongside all UK front-line commands.
“The significant buy-in from the top of UK defence is incredibly welcome and helps us to deliver the best event possible to our customers,” said Grant Burgham, DSEI UK Director.
Ultimately, DSEI 2025 is more than an exhibition. It’s a strategic platform for aligning technology, talent, and tactics with future operational demands.
Whether you’re a defence prime, SME, innovator, or policy adviser, this year’s focus on ‘Preparing the Future Force’ challenges you to ask: Are we building the force we need or the force we know?
In London this September, we begin to find the answers.
