The British Army say it is preparing to set out its stall and demonstrate how it will tackle the challenges of the future at DSEI, one of the world’s major Defence exhibitions.

According to a news release, the British Army say it is “about to embark on the most radical transformation in decades taking it from an industrial age to a digital age force”.

“The ways it will do this will be explained at the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) taking place at the ExCel London, Docklands, between September 14 and 17 2021.

The event, being held both live and virtually, is expected to attract more than 1,000 defence and security suppliers, including all the major prime manufacturers and more than 100 new exhibitors. It also attracts our international Allies and partners enabling discussions and opportunities for collaborative work.”

Major General Neil Sexton, Director Engagement and Communications for the Army, was quoted as saying:

“We really hope to see as many of our international allies and partner Armies from around the world coming into the east of London for that week in September in order to promote UK prosperity and the UK Defence Industry to them through the vehicle of the British Army.

There has been a really big effort by the MOD to ensure the Army, Navy, Airforce, Strategic Command and the new UK Space Command are all presenting something which when you add it together produces multi-domain integration. And the theme for DSEI is of course integrated response to future threats, and the theme for the Army is Future Soldier and Integrated Army. Timing is everything and in two ways this show is really important; for about 18 months we have not been engaging in a physical fashion with our international partners and we are, we know, a reference Army for partners around the world.

We have 27 formal partnerships and a number of informal ones and we want to kick-off again post-Covid to a time in September where we have those physical relationships, discussions, planning together around all sorts of things including equipment capability.More importantly, probably than that, is that the UK had a significant security and defence review that reported at the end of March. That has set the British Army on a significant journey to modernise and to change the way it’s operating around the world. That it is training and educating its people and that it’s focusing on various elements of our equipment, so DSEI offers us a great platform to explain what we have called “Future Soldier”, which is the British Army’s transformation programme.”

George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison

36 COMMENTS

    • Of the three British soldiers left the British army wanted more diversity so two are conscientious objectors and one is a human rights lawyer to keep an eye on them so they don’t become right wing. All three soldiers have declined to use the Ajax armoured vehicle citing health and safety concerns as well as they might hurt the enemy. They have asked that the Ajax vehicle is made non-lethal. The manufacturers cited evidence that the Ajax vehicle is indeed non-lethal.

      • In addition, they have requested a transfer to the Navy so that they can begin a campaign there to completely get rid of the MCM capability on the grounds that they harm whales.

        • The three soldiers were then reprimanded for not doing an adequate business, health and safety as well as diversity and inclusion plan in advance with an appropriate flashy power-point presentation and GANTT chart. They were subsequently dismissed from the armed services leaving zero staff left apart from 1000 managers and generals working hard attending board room meetings via zoom and sipping latte’s. The said 1000 managers and generals were subsequently promoted and received performance related pay for hitting the zero carbon emission quota now they have got rid of all the remaining soldiers and sailors. All 1000 managers and generals were also allowed to claim discrimination for being criticized for purchasing the Ajax vehicle when in fact it is one of the the best performing vehicles ever procured by the Army a source from the Grauniad claimed. Our esteemed Prime Minister BoJo supported the said managers with a claim the Ajax vehicle is world leading technology and any criticism was the work of fake news and disinformation by the Russians and Chinese. He also claimed that our armed services were never better paid, better funded or more efficient – look at what we can do with zero soldiers and sailors…not even the Russians and Chinese can beat what we do!

      • And to cap it all ,all uniforms for those lucky few will of course be Non binary in fitting with matching rainbow cam and sponsorship logos too appease Guardian readers

  1. Is that so… what happened to future sir defence? Sky Sabre should have been operational at the start of 2020.. not deployed yet. Ajax is a bucket of bolts and should be scrapped….

  2. Hoping that DSEI has some really interesting displays for the Army, they need some good news stories (even though the Twitter vultures will be hoping for bad news no doubt).

  3. Does that include a future vision as to how the equation:

    British Army procurement + (tracks or wheels) = disaster

    is to be reworked?

  4. I would quite like somebody more informed than I am to explain what missions the future army is being configured to fight. To me, it will no longer possess the mass, or breadth of capabilities, to contribute significantly to a European conflict. At the same time it will be too focussed on heavy equipment for a special forces type operation. Genuine question!

  5. Looks like Boxer will be highlighted at the show as our new Infantry vehicle (APC? IFV? MICV? MIV?) with the Kongsberg RWS (but with a 7.62mm GPMG or a Browning 0.50?) instead of a Warrior with WCSP upgrade and 40mm fire-on-the-move cannon. Is that impressive or not?

    Do they dare show Ajax? Anyone know the latest on the scrap or rectify decision?

  6. Sorry text was a bit messed up on this page so I will use the slot here.

    Sky Sabre should have been operational on the Falklands by now. I think this was to be by 2020 or at least by the end of 2020. The last I saw the first battery had not been deployed yet and was still training as of the start of this year. I have seen nothing on any operational deployment.

  7. Will be interesting to see what is on display.

    I expect all sorts of announcements regards kit and the new ORBAT this autumn.

  8. I have been thinking about what the logic is with constantly cutting troop numbers, even they they are ultimately key to actually winning any war. I came up with two explanations, which are not mutually exclusive.

    1. The recent governmental obsession of dropping bombs /parking navy ships to be seen to be doing something without caring if it achieves anything, meaning needing more shinny assets to show off to the press

    2. Belief that if the worst happens, then troops numbers are faster to build up than equipment, especially considering the reality that all our gear requires multinational parts and so if a serious war happens, supply chain would instantly dry up as other nations would priorities their own miltiary over exports. Doesn’t fully hold up as our supply of missiles etc seem rather low.

    I suspect it’s 90% 1 with a sprinkle of 2.

  9. We are a Defence forces now, but so is Japan and they have a huge millitary… far more powerful than ours.. ppl tend to forget that. But they do have twice the population and maybe brains.. Anyways expect more cuts..

  10. The cuts to army numbers where highlighted for all to see if Afghanistan. When the UK, France and Germany had thousands of citizens in kabul we should have been able to deploy troops in an emergency to secure and evacuate the City rather than hold an airport and hope those citizens can make it through Taliban check points. Complete betral of those who helped us but also told the rest of the world Europe has no military capability worth talking about and that you cannot trust the west to protect you period. Biggest foreign policy screw up since the 1930s

    • I know what you are saying, but had we deployed troops to Kabul, prior to the Taliban arriving and it turned into a big firefight with more UK troops coming home in coffins, the public backlash would have been huge….

      Of course, the Taliban might have just patiently waited unit we left, on the other hand, they might have taken it as another Western attempt to prop up the failing government and thrown everything into the fight…

      If we had taken that approach, would the French have fought alongside us, possibly, the Germans … No chance.

      We will never know the answer, that’s down to Historians to debate in the years to come.

      • I don’t think there would have been a fire fight if there where 10,000 nato troops defending the city with air support until the city was evacuated. The Taliban knew they had won and attacking kabul would have killed thousands of their own troops with nothing to gain.
        It pretty much tells Russia that there is no fight whatsoever beyond sanctions if it was to complete invade Ukraine and install a puppet government. Im not even sure we would defend Baltics if Russia topped at Poland.

        • I read that the tailban offered for the US to take over running Kabul as a whole while they evacuated the city but the offer was rejected, so I don’t think there would have been a fire fight. There might however been a lot more bombings by Isis, which likely would have resulted in more deaths.

          • The ISIS issue would probably have been the biggest threat Steve, it would have taken every opportunity to kill as many NATO troops as it possibly could via their usual cowardly suicide vest insanity….

            On a wider point, I will reserve my judgement on the future force structure until it’s fully understood.

  11. “Future Soldier” damn it! Just when things are going to change for the better, I shall miss the chance to join in.
    I’m 50 years past my service date now!
    Pensioned off: put out to pasture. My eyesight is terrible, and my hearing is even worse. But, my heart is that of a British Squaddie!

  12. It’s embarrassing everytime I hear them say numbers are not important it’s what they have which is. I’m sorry it appears now we are unable to safely secure an airport the size of stanstead in a far off land against a bunch of nomads and farmers who can’t even read. It’s totally embarrassing someone should point out to hold an area you need troops, we now have more police full-time then we do full time troops. We have two aircraft carriers with US marine aircraft on to project airpower and we can not back it up with ground forces. Sorry who ever is in charge of this crap show needs to workout what it is they want our armed forces to be, we are marching towards being a military power that always need mates to back it up to do anything. We shouldn’t be wasting money on vanity projects like super carriers we should be working things that win wars, troops on the ground, military equipment, transportation and orbital death rays.

  13. If the Dsee is anything like Rnee then it’s a quick walk round visiting as many marquees as possible by stand easy then hitting the beer wine and spirit marquee at least that one has a decent carpet RNEE Whale Island 1981 if the traffic police had waited at Rudmore roundabout The whole defence industry would have had too use bikes for their mode of transport . It was 2 weeks of corporate handshaking and alcohol
    consumption

  14. Chuffing Nora….. this is another example of the military being drowned in H&S horse sh$te. Did anyone, back in the day, think about someone’s ears when the 432 was in use all the time…..? No, of course not! It’s an armoured vehicle, it’s going to be noisy, do people think it’s going to be like, a Tesla car in electric power mode.
    Next, we’ll be seeing the H&S department going to try and silence the big guns of the Royal Artillery and Royal Navy…… this rubbish has got to stop, NOW!

    • When ever we closed up for a shoot be it NGS AA or Surface we would Buddy check to ensure we had internal earplugs and eardefenders we didn’t require H&S too come snoopg bloody Guardian readers

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