25 February at 12:45 – 14:15 GMT
Our Whitehall Briefings connect Whitehall officials and other key stakeholders for discussions on a range of topical geopolitical, geoeconomic and geostrategic issues, as well as domestic issues associated with the United Kingdom’s leadership on the global stage. A prominent Whitehall official discusses their knowledge and expertise before invited guests engage in discussion and offer valuable input and ideas.
The Whitehall Briefings take place bi-monthly at the In and Out Naval and Military Club. Events are by invitation only and take place strictly off-the-record.
Keynote speaker
Ben Short
Head, Secretary of State’s Office for Net Assessment and Challenge, Ministry of DefenceBen Short is the Head of the Secretary of State’s Office for Net Assessment and Challenge (SONAC). SONAC was established in Defence in 2020 to use red teaming, wargaming and net assessment methods to challenge conventional ways of thinking, bring evidence into the heart of Defence, and think longer term. Previously Ben has worked across the National Security Committee. He was the lead author of the 2022 Defence Strategy, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) lead in the UK’s 2021 Integrated Review, the senior Russia analyst in the Joint Intelligence Organisation during the Salisbury Poisonings, and has worked in Ministry of Defence (MOD) Policy, NATO and as a deployable analyst in Standing Joint Force Headquarters. He has twice been awarded the Vice Chief’s commendation, firstly for his work developing the MOD’s first post-Cold War Russia Strategy, and secondly for his work in the 2021 Integrated Review.
Honorary chair
Dr Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter OBE
Honorary Chair, Geostrategy ForumDr Carl Hunter OBE is Chairman of Coltraco Ultrasonics, a high-exporting advanced manufacturer. He is also: Chairman of the British Exporters Association; Director-General of the Durham Institute of Research, Development and Invention; Director of the Centre of Underwater Acoustic Analysis; Professor-in-Practice at Durham University Business School; Visiting Fellow of the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre; and Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology.
Venue
For further information about the Whitehall Briefings, please email Luca Hincks, Events and Operations Coordinator, at: [email protected].