About this event
This iDeaS session will explore how the war in Ukraine is redefining modern warfare. Affordable drones saturate the battlefield, enabling persistent surveillance and precision strikes. Integrated fire-coordination networks compress decision cycles, while real-time data fusion provides commanders with unprecedented situational awareness. Agile, low-cost production of munitions and battlefield systems has shifted advantage to those able to innovate and adapt at tempo, with civil-military integration accelerating battlefield innovation.
NATO faces critical challenges: doctrinal inertia, interoperability gaps, and slow translation of operational lessons threaten to widen the capability gap against adversaries capable of generating combat mass. Without rapid doctrinal reform, procurement processes that prioritise adaptability, and industrial surge capacity to sustain high-tempo operations, the Alliance risks being outpaced.
This panel will examine how operational feedback from Ukraine must be translated into immediate change across force design, logistics, and alliance interoperability – recognising that the next contest will reward speed, modularity, and rapid scalability.
📢 You’ll also have the opportunity to connect with the speakers during a live 15-minute Q&A!
🗣️ Session in English
👥 Please note: Attendance is limited — sign up now to secure your spot.
The iDeaS Team
Hosted by
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Team member
Hawa-Léa Sougouna Conference Manager | Moderator @ COGES EventsT
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Guest speaker
LTG (RET) Ben Hodges Commanding General @ U.S. Army EuropeG
Lieutenant General Ben Hodges served as Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe from 2014 to 2017. He is affiliated with leading think tanks, advises several civic advocacy organisations, and consults widely on NATO, the EU, and European security. He is co-author of Future War and the Defence of Europe, published by Oxford University Press with Prof Dr Julian Lindley-French and General (Ret.) John Allen. He resides in Frankfurt, Germany, with his wife.
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Guest speaker
MG (RET) Gary Deakin CEO @ Kingfisher ConsultingG
Major General Gary Deakin is a former senior British Army leader and internationally recognised strategic planner. His career includes leadership roles across NATO forces, NATO Headquarters, and the NATO command structure, with his final post as Deputy Chief of Staff Plans at NATO Joint Force Command Naples. In Iraq, he commanded the 1st Battalion Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment and an All Arms Battle Group. He is currently Head of Defence and Security at MaltinPR in London, serves on the Advisory Council of OPEWI, and has recently been mobilised as a 2-star Mentor for the British Army’s One-Star Command Assessment Development Pathway. His operational, planning, and leadership experience bring critical depth to the discussion.
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Guest speaker
Sam Cranny-Evans Defence writer, research analyst, editor and owner @ Calibre DefenceG
Sam Cranny-Evans is a defence writer and research analyst, and the editor and owner of Calibre Defence, a UK-based news and consultancy platform focused on defence industry and modern warfare. He is an Associate Fellow at RUSI and previously served as a lead analyst in land warfare at Janes, where he worked on the Armoured Fighting Vehicles yearbooks. His research spans multi-domain integration, electronic warfare, and detailed analysis of the war in Ukraine.
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