Overview
AUKUS represents one of the most significant realignments of Western defence partnership in a generation, yet the distance between strategic ambition and delivered capability remains a defining challenge for all three partner nations. This event brings together expert voices to examine that gap from every angle – grand strategic, governmental, industrial and entrepreneurial.
Panellists will address why AUKUS matters in a rapidly shifting Indo-Pacific security environment, how UK government policy and procurement reform are shaping alliance integration, what large prime contractors must do to ramp up sovereign industrial capacity, and how defence SMEs can contribute innovation and agility whilst navigating the barriers to programme participation.
Panellists
- Lord Ricketts GCMG GCVO, Vice-Chair, RUSI, former senior UK diplomat and National Security Adviser.
- Major General Mark Totten CBE, Director SSN Capability, Defence Nuclear Organisation, UK Ministry of Defence.
- Richard Powell OBE, Director of Strategic Engagement, QinetiQ.
- Greg Clarke, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chair, SecureCloud+.
The event will be hosted by Mike Hawthorne OBE, committee member of the UK Cook Society and former UK submarine commander.
About the Cook Society
The Cook Society is a prominent, invitation-only forum dedicated to promoting high-level relations and cultural exchange between the United Kingdom and Australia. The society was established in the late 1960s by former UK Prime Minister Sir Alec Douglas-Home and former Australian Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies. It consists of a select, prestigious group of leaders across various fields, including business, government, academia, culture and science.
How to attend
This event is open to all members and will take place at RUSI, 61 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2ET. Please register your interest in attending. We will confirm by email by 14 July if you have been successful in being allocated a place.
Refreshments will be served from 10:30 BST.
If you have any questions regarding this event, please email [email protected].