KEY TOPICS SHAPING DEFENCE AT IDC 2025
Global disruptions and defence preparedness: Mitigating threats to critical supply chains
The world faces unprecedented global disruptions, including geopolitical tensions, natural disasters, cyberattacks, and pandemics, posing significant challenges to critical supply chains vital for both commercial sectors and national defence. As resilience becomes essential, governments and industries are reevaluating strategies to ensure supply chains remain robust and adaptable. Innovative approaches are needed, with start-ups and "tech disruptors" emerging as key providers of new technologies, enabling the integration of commercial solutions into public defence applications. This panel will explore the intersection of global disruptions and defence preparedness, focusing on collaboration between nations and businesses to secure supply chains. Experts from the defence sector, government, and industry will discuss proactive measures, the role of technology, and building collaborative networks to mitigate risks, offering strategies to enhance resilience in an unpredictable world.
Disinformation and influence operations: The weaponization of information in modern conflicts
In today's hyperconnected world, information has become a powerful weapon capable of shaping perceptions, influencing behaviors, and even altering the course of global events. As traditional warfare gives way to hybrid tactics, disinformation and influence operations have emerged as critical tools in the modern conflict arsenal. This panel will delve into the complex and evolving landscape of information warfare, exploring how state and non-state actors leverage misinformation, manipulation of narratives, and targeted messaging to achieve strategic objectives without firing a single shot. By examining real-world case studies and engaging with leading experts, this panel will provide valuable insights into the threats posed by disinformation. It will also explore the strategies necessary to counter these threats at the intersection of technology, psychology, and international relations.
The sky is no longer the limit: Emerging threats and opportunities in space
The growing importance of space in defense and modern warfare has led to increased attention on threats and opportunities in this increasingly congested, competitive, and contested domain. We are clearly in a time of rapid change in the space strategic environment, marked by a significant increase in satellite launches and the use of commercial satellites in real combat operations. New technologies are being developed for space situational awareness, missile defense, secure satellite communication, and resilient space assets. Counterspace capabilities, designed to degrade and challenge the use of space-based services, pose significant threats to the military. In response, countries are establishing space forces, commands, strategies, policies, and alliances. This panel discusses the most current issues in space and defense, addressing emerging threats to space systems, opportunities for enhancing resilience, advancements in new technologies, the pivotal role of the private sector, and the need for space alliances.
