The defense sector must innovate quickly ‘Learn from the British’
Defense must implement innovative technology more quickly, and can learn from other countries in this regard.
Published on October 2, 2025
Our DATA+ expert, Elcke Vels, explores AI, cyber security, and Dutch innovation. Her "What if..." column imagines bold scenarios beyond the norm.
According to the MIVD, Russia will have the resources for an armed conflict with NATO by around 2030. Whether that will actually happen is another question. However, the threat of a possible Russian attack on a NATO member state is no longer a far-fetched doomsday scenario. It is therefore important that the defense sector rapidly implements new technology. How can we smartly approach this? During the European Defense Innovation Summit in The Hague, Brigadier General Peter Gielen emphasized that the Netherlands can learn from the British approach. “Companies with a good idea receive £5 million to build a system. If it doesn't work, that's unfortunate, but at least the industry has learned something.”
The European Defense Innovation Summit recently took place, a meeting that brought together the entire European defense ecosystem. Ministers, policymakers, military personnel, and innovative entrepreneurs stood side by side. One message was emphasized repeatedly: Defense must implement innovative technology more quickly.
Minister of Defense Ruben Brekelmans: “In 2030, Russia will be ready for a large-scale confrontation with NATO. That is the reality we must prepare for.” According to him, our ability to deter threats and support Ukraine depends entirely on what the defense industry can develop and deliver. Only by intensively involving the industry can we stay one step ahead of the enemy. “That means fully committing to innovation in areas such as cyber, AI, and quantum computing. Most breakthroughs in these areas come from startups and scale-ups,” says Brekelmans.
The Netherlands invests heavily in defense
Funding for industry is an important part of the puzzle. The Netherlands is therefore investing heavily in technology for defense. Earlier this year, a fund was set up to provide financial support to entrepreneurs developing both civilian and military innovations: the Security Fund (SecFund). Contributions to the fund are expected to grow from €25 million to €100 million this year.
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Learning from the British
A step in the right direction. The Netherlands must become less risk-averse when financing collaborations with the business community, says Peter Gielen during a panel discussion at the event in The Hague. According to him, there is much to learn from the United Kingdom.
“I recently attended a conference on a missile system in the UK. Two hundred companies were asked to contribute their ideas.” Project NIGHTFALL is an initiative of the British Ministry of Defense for a tactical ballistic missile system with a range of more than 500 kilometers. The industry is actively involved, with companies able to submit proposals, form consortia, and receive financial support for prototypes.
Gielen: "They announced: do you have a good plan, and do you think you can contribute something? Then you will receive £5 million to build a system. If it doesn't work, too bad, but the industry has participated and learned. We don't do that on that scale in the Netherlands yet. We are quick to decide that it shouldn't cost too much.“ The British approach is better, according to Gielen. ”Companies may not always deliver the perfect solution, but 80% is still better than nothing."
Standardization of weapon systems and long-term contracts
The Netherlands desperately needs such a hands-on approach in the coming years to remain effective. Equally important is smart, close cooperation with Ukraine and between NATO countries in the development of technology, Brekelmans concludes. Countries must work together to ensure, among other things, the standardization of weapon systems and long-term contracts, so that the industry has both certainty and flexibility.
Preferably sooner rather than later; “Systems that will only arrive after 2030, or nice plans on an Excel sheet, will not deter Putin.”
