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Military Robotics and Autonomous Systems
8 April - 10 April 2024
Military Robotics and Autonomous Systems

The Military Robotics and Autonomous Systems Conference is returning bigger than ever in 2024. With the world less stable and the threat of conflict ever greater; the successful implementation and integration of risk reducing, yet tempo and mass generating robotics and autonomous systems is more crucial than ever.

SAE Media Group is proud to present Military Robotics and Autonomous Systems conference, returning to London on the 8-10 April 2024.
 

With the increasing deployment of Uncrewed systems in Ukraine and more frequent tactical experiments with mission-capable UXS in NATO nations, the RAS community must prioritize the safe and effective operationalization of these systems. 

With the new dedicated focus day and 4 separate afternoon streams, covering all aspects of RAS, the MRAS conference is, as ever, the best place to gain essential knowledge and insight from MRAS programs from across the globe, and where the capabilities, challenges and opportunities of these programs lie.

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Brigadier Mike Cornwell

Brigadier Mike Cornwell

Head Future Force Development, British Army
Colonel David Robertson

Colonel David Robertson

Director Robotic & Autonomous Systems Implementation & Coordination Office RICO, Australian Army
Colonel Tim Wright

Colonel Tim Wright

Assistant Head, Research and Experimentation, Futures Directorate, Army Headquarters
Colonel Toby Till

Colonel Toby Till

Commander, Experimentation and Trials Group, British Army
Lieutenant Colonel Simon Pope

Lieutenant Colonel Simon Pope

SO1 C4ISR, Ministry of Defence
Lieutenant Colonel Sjoerd  Mevissen

Lieutenant Colonel Sjoerd Mevissen

Commander of Robotics and Autonomous Systems Unit, Royal Netherlands Army
Mr James Gavin

Mr James Gavin

Head of the Future Capability Group, DE&S UK MoD

Brigadier (Retd) Ian Cameron-Mowat

Director, IMP Castle Associates Limited
Brigadier (Retd) Ian Cameron-Mowat

Ian Cameron-Mowat joined the Royal Corps of Signals in 1983 with an honours degree in Russian from Glasgow University. He had a busy Cold War culminating in his two-year tour on detached duty as a specialist intelligence officer in the final years of the Berlin Wall. Otherwise he alternated between more mainstream Royal Signals appointments at troop, squadron and Regimental level, equipment capability, and posts in intelligence and security in the UK and with the United Nations.

His final seven years in uniform were spent, first as a colonel and finally as a brigadier, heading Special Projects and Force Protection teams in the MOD’s procurement organisation, Defence Equipment and Support. Among other areas, he was responsible for the UK’s remote-controlled vehicle programmes, counter-IED systems, bomb disposal, force protection surveillance and novel protection systems for armoured vehicles.

On leaving the Army in early 2010 he founded a consultancy helping companies to identify and win opportunities in equipment programmes in the UK and allied countries. His work has included advice to UK MOD and support to British and international clients in robotics, UAS and counter-UAS, electronic countermeasures, surveillance, vehicle integration, communications, survivability and the manufacturing supply chain, along with extensive conference chairing.

Outside work, his interests are fairly standard – travel, foreign languages, military history, archaeology, dogs, cooking, gadgets - all that sort of thing.

Brigadier Mike Cornwell

Head Future Force Development, British Army
Brigadier Mike Cornwell

Captain Aleksanteri Siren

Teacher of Artillery Tactics, Finnish National Defence University
Captain Aleksanteri Siren

 Captain Aleksanteri Sirén, Teacher of Artillery Tactics, Department of Warfare, National Defence University, Finnish Defence Forces. Previous positions include four years in Reserve Officer School and two years in Artillery School as a course manager. Graduated from National Defence University as Master of Military Science in 2020. Currently a Doctoral Candidate of Military Science and writing a dissertation on autonomous weapon systems and human-machine teaming in the kill chain of artillery system. Previously studied operational and tactical usage of autonomous weapon systems in 2018¬-2020.

Captain Christian Andersson

Research Officer, department of War Technology , Finnish National Defence University
Captain Christian Andersson

 Captain Christian Andersson works in the Finnish National Defence University as a research officer and a scientist. He received his M.Sc.Tech in Automation & hydraulics from Tampere University of Technology in 2018. He later graduated with a master´s degree in military sciences in 2022. He is preparing two dissertations, first on Artificial Intelligence in Military Unmanned Ground Vehicles and the second one on development and uses of Military Unmanned Ground Vehicles. His scientific researchers focuses on developing Evolutionary algorithms for UGV’s and further developing an Autonomous Multi-Purpose Ground Vehicle. Despite his young career he is already participating in several research projects in Finland.

Colonel Charles Seaberry

Director, AFC-International, US Army
Colonel Charles Seaberry

COL Seaberry serves as the Director of Army Futures Command International-Atlantic overseeing a globally-reaching organization spanning Europe, Africa, and the Middle East committed to advancing military capabilities and collaborative efforts in research and development. AFC International-Atlantic identifies foreign technology for seamless integration into Army Research and Development centers, ensuring the Army maintains its innovation edge. By aligning Army initiatives with key agencies such as OSD, USAF, and USN, COL Seaberry maximizes investments to enhance future combat capabilities. AFC International-Atlantic actively supports EUCOM, AFRICOM, and USAREUR-AF in shaping strategic S&T engagement plans to fortify the Army's global presence. Serving as the Army's S&T lead to NATO, COL Seaberry champions interoperability and modernization priorities and fostering collaborative R&D partnerships with foreign stakeholders. AFC International-Atlantic remains at the forefront of innovation and international collaboration, contributing significantly to national security.

Colonel David Robertson

Director Robotic & Autonomous Systems Implementation & Coordination Office RICO, Australian Army
Colonel David Robertson

 Colonel David Robertson is the Director of the Army’s Robotic & Autonomous Systems Implementation & Coordination Office (RICO) within Future Land Warfare Branch of the Australian Army HQ. RICO leads concept development around emerging and disruptive technology, including autonomy and AI, Quantum Technologies and alternative power and energy. He has overseen Army’s exploration of autonomous systems since January 2024.
He is an Armoured Corps officer by background and has served for 26 years the Australian Army. He has a background in System Design and Data Science and has fulfilled a number of Capability Development and educational roles. He has deployed a number of times at the tactical and operational levels.

Colonel Jan Mazal

Head of the Military Robotics Department , University of Defence, Czech Armed Forces
Colonel Jan Mazal

 COL. Doc. Ing. Jan Mazal, Ph.D., a graduate of the Military College of Ground Forces in Vyskov. Since 2005 he is a doctor in the field of the theory of Defence Management and since 2013 he is an associate professor in the area of Military Management. He is former Doctrine Education and Training Branch Chief at the NATO Modelling & Simulation Centre of Excellence in ROME, currently, he works as a chief of the Military Robotics Department at the University of Defence in Brno. His field of expertise is Military Robotics, C4ISR Systems, and Modelling and Simulation in Military Domain.

Colonel Jeff Jurand

Project Manager XM30 Combat Vehicle , US Army Program Executive Office (PEO) Ground Combat Systems (GCS)
Colonel Jeff Jurand

 COL Jeffery W. Jurand graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1998 and commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Armor. He initially served as both a Tank and Scout Platoon Leader in 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, TX. In November 2001 he deployed as an Assistant Operations Officer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division to Kuwait as Operation Enduring Freedom began.


Following the Armor Captains Career Course, he then served as a Rear Detachment Commander and Assistant Operations Officer for 1st Battalion, 34th Armor, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, KS. In June 2005, he assumed command of C/1-34 AR. In May 2006, C/1-34 AR tripled in size, converted to a motorized company and COL Jurand commanded the company during its subsequent deployment in support of OIF 06-07. Upon re-deployment, he transitioned into the Army Acquisition Corps.


In 2008, COL Jurand was assigned to the Army Research Laboratory at Adelphi, MD and served as a counter-IED Project Team Lead. There he led project teams conducting limited development and experimentation with both developmental and off-the-shelf technology and led initial fielding efforts in Afghanistan in support of Joint IED Defeat Organization’s (JIEDDO) efforts. In 2010 he was reassigned to Warren, MI where he served as an Assistant Product Manager for Mobility and Power Generation Systems in the Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) Program. In 2013 he was nominated and selected for an assignment with the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) at Fort Bragg, NC. There he served as both a Product Director for Sensitive Activities and Chief of Requirements. COL Jurand assumed responsibilities as Product Manager, Heavy Tactical Vehicles in June 2016. In June 2020, COL Jurand was reassigned to the Pentagon and served as the Executive Officer to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology (ASAALT). In November 2020, COL Jurand assumed duties as Project Manager, Maneuver Combat Systems back in Warren, MI.


COL Jurand has a B.S. in Engineering Science from Vanderbilt University and an M.Eng in Project Management from University of Maryland, College Park. He attended the U.S. Army War College Fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg, PA in 2019-2020 where he studied Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Colonel Tim Wright

Assistant Head, Research and Experimentation, Futures Directorate, Army Headquarters
Colonel Tim Wright

 COL Tim Wright is responsible for Research and
Experimentation in the Futures Directorate of the UK
Army Headquarters with specific focus on robotics,
autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence. Most
recently, he served as Director for Russia on the
National Security Council staff in the Executive Office
of the President. He holds a PhD from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Colonel Toby Till

Commander, Experimentation and Trials Group, British Army
Colonel Toby Till

 Colonel Toby Till has commanded the UK Experimentation and Trials Group since June 2022. His previous experience includes Infantry Battalion command (Coldstream Guards) with Light Infantry, Armoured Infantry, Reconnaissance, Close Observation and Airborne Pathfinder experience over 31 years. On the staff he has completed multiple capability roles covering concepts, capability delivery as well as a planner in Divisional and Operational HQ. He has served 3 tours in Northern Ireland, 3 in Afghanistan, 1 in Iraq, as well in Kosovo with the UNHCR. He has trained globally including in Southeast Asia, Central and North America, Africa and across Europe.

Dr Elias Stipidis

CEO Vetronics Research Centre EU Ltd & Techniical Director, COMMANDS Project , Vetronics Research Centre EU Ltd
Dr Elias Stipidis

Elias Stipidis (PhD, FIET) has 25+ years’ experience in delivering research and technology projects within the Lands Systems domain. He was in academia for 20 years; started in 1999 at the University of Sussex (where previously completed his PhD), and then 2010 he moved to the University of Brighton as a Professor of Vetronics, from where he left to work in industry in 2019.
From 1998 – 2019, he has worked with the UK MOD to deliver future capabilities research programmes contributing to the creation and maturity of Defence Standards GVA Def Stan 23-009 and NATO GVA STANAG 4754, and for his contributions he was presented in 2012 with the UK Minister (DEST – Defence Equipment Support and Technology) Acquisition Award. As Director of the Vetronics Research Centre, he was awarded Centre of Excellence status, directly funded by the UK MOD, 2004-2019.
Through his role within the EDA CapTech Land, he contributed significantly to the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) and Capability Development Plan (CDP) for the Land Domain and has worked on a number of EU programmes including Active Protection Systems, Modular UGV Platforms standardisation and currently is the Technical Coordinator for COMMANDS.
Since 2022, he is the CEO of Vetronics Research Centre EU Ltd, and his expertise is in Electronics Architectures Systems Integration, Safety and Security, Embedded Systems Networking, and Interoperability
 

Dr Kim Mathiassen

Research Manager, FFI (Norwegian Defence Research Establishment)
Dr Kim Mathiassen

 Kim Mathiassen received a Masters degree in engineering cybernetics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in 2010 and a PhD in medical robotics from the University of Oslo in 2017. In 2015 he started working at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment with Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) and autonomous systems. In addition, he is an associate professor at the University of Oslo teaching advanced robotics. He is also the chair of the NATO STO group IST-179 Interoperability for Semi-Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicles. His is currently working as a research manger on combat vehicles and dismounted soldier at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment.

Dr Sidharth Kauhsal

Research Fellow, Sea Power, RUSI
Dr Sidharth Kauhsal

 Sidharth Kaushal's research at RUSI covers the impact of technology on maritime doctrine in the 21st century and the role of sea power in a state's grand strategy.
Sidharth holds a doctorate in International Relations from the London School of Economics, where his research examined the ways in which strategic culture shapes the contours of a nation's grand strategy.

Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Dawe

Commanding Officer Infantry Trials and Development Unit, ITDU, British Army
Lieutenant Colonel  Arthur Dawe

 Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Dawe joined the Army in 2001, commissioning into the Scots Guards. Initially posted to London on ceremonial duties, he then served as a Platoon Commander in the Guards Training Division, Catterick. Further postings included Poland, Canada and Germany where he was an Armoured Infantry Platoon and Company Commander. He worked in Joint Capabilities in the MoD during SDSR10 and is experienced in several other key Staff appointment roles, both in the MoD and in the Field Army. He has completed multiple tours of duty in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan and overseas short-term training tasks (STTT).

Lieutenant Colonel James de St John-Pryce

Commanding Officer, Armoured Trials & Development Unit (ATDU)
Lieutenant Colonel James de St John-Pryce

 With a passion for the role and challenges of reconnaissance, Lieutenant Colonel James de St John-Pryce commissioned into the Household Cavalry. He completed tours of Bosnia and two of Iraq as a junior officer.
At PJHQ, he was the J3 Joint Effects desk officer and then MA to the Assistant Chief of Staff J3 (Operations). He commanded C Squadron HCR in preparation for a tour of Afghanistan on Scimitar 2. He has been the Syria desk officer in Military Strategic Effects, Plans Officer for the European Training Mission in Mogadishu and Requirements Manager on the AJAX programme. More recently he was Second in Command of the Household Cavalry and the J3/Operations and Africa Team Leader for the Joint Force Headquarters on global crisis response. He assumed command of the Armoured Trials and Development Unit in August 2021.
Foremost are his passion for flying (fixed winged aircraft), speed riding (skiing with a small parachute) and reforming the Army's least useful anachronisms.

Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Hanlon

SO1 Soldier Systems, British Army
Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Hanlon

 Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Hanlon was commissioned into the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carbiniers and Greys) in 1999. He served his early Regimental career in Germany as a Challenger II (Main Battle Tank) troop commander. As a Squadron Commander he converted to a Reconnaissance role serving with 1st The Queens Dragoon Guards.
Operational tours include Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. Staff appointments include Military Assistant to the General Officer Commanding the UK Support Command in German, Land capability lead in British Embassy in the USA and the programme manager for the CT40 Cannon in Defence Equipment & Support.
He is currently leading the Army’s SoldierWorks team which is taking a ‘platform’ approach to delivering an Integrated Soldier System.

Lieutenant Colonel Martijn Hadicke

Commander RAS Innovation Program, Royal Netherlands Army
Lieutenant Colonel Martijn Hadicke

Lieutenant Colonel Mikkel Gorsetbakk

Chief Army Combat Laboratory, Norwegian Army Land Warfare Centre
Lieutenant Colonel Mikkel Gorsetbakk

 Lieutenant Colonel Mikkel Gorsetbakk received a Bachelor degree of Military Studies from the Norwegian Army Military Academy in 2005 and a Masters degree of Military Studies from US Marine Corps University in 2021. He has been in service in the Norwegian Armed Forces since 1996, working mainly within Electronic Warfare, Intelligence, and Communications. LtCol Gorsetbakk’s operational experience includes several tours in Kosovo and Afghanistan. His current position is CO of the Army Land Warfare Center’s Combat Lab, and he is project manager for project “Future Combat Unit”.

Lieutenant Colonel Simon Pope

SO1 C4ISR, Ministry of Defence
Lieutenant Colonel Simon Pope

 Lt Col Pope commissioned from Sandhurst into the AAC in 2002. Following a 6-month infantry attachment in Northern Ireland as a Platoon Commander, he completed the Army Pilot’s Course in 2004. Subsequently posted to 4 Regiment AAC on Lynx he deployed on Op ALTHEA to Banja Luka and Sarajevo in Bosnia, before being selected at short notice for an exchange tour with 847 Naval Air Sqn in Yeovilton in 2006.

A range of CHF deployments followed including Sierra Leone embarked on HMS Ocean, Norway, Denmark and mountain flying in France. Qualifying as a Airborne Forward Air Controller (AbFAC) he deployed with 847 NAS on Op TELIC in 2007 on Lynx Mk9, also deploying on the ground to Al-Amarah as a JTAC. Awarded a Joint Commanders Commendation he joined 657 Sqn at RAF Odiham, conducting a range of operational and training deployments across Iraq, Afghanistan, Europe, Central and South America. Finally being finally prised out of the cockpit in 2011 he became Adjutant of 9 Regt AAC within 16 Air Assault Brigade, concurrently completing a Masters with King’s College London (KCL).

Promoted to Major and attending ICSC(L) in 2013, he served in the Army’s Capability Directorate, focused on the development of the STRIKE Brigade and Divisional C2. In 2018 he went on to reform and command 659 Sqn in January 2018 on Wildcat. The Sqn initially focused on Apache and Wildcat Attack Reconnaissance Teaming, before conducting a range of deployments including JOINT WARRIOR with 16 Air Asslt Bde, mountain flying in Southern France and IRON PYTHON with 3 AAC Battlegroup. 659 was also the first Sqn to requalify as an Air Observation Post, supporting the Royal Tank Regiment in Oman before assuming high readiness and deploying on to Croatia alongside Apache, Chinook and French Tiger.

On promotion, Lt Col Pope attended ACSC from 2019 before assuming Unit command in 2020. He joined Fin Mil Cap Joint Plans in MoD in January 2023 as SO1 C4ISR, where he has been the desk lead on drafting the Defence Uncrewed Systems Strategy. A keen guitarist who has played in a number of bands, he has also recently (finally) completed a PhD at KCL researching strategic agency and decision-making.

Lieutenant Colonel Sjoerd Mevissen

Commander of Robotics and Autonomous Systems Unit, Royal Netherlands Army
Lieutenant Colonel Sjoerd  Mevissen

 
Sjoerd started his career in 1994 at the Royal Military Academy. He served in several positions within the Royal Engineers. After his Master in Civil Engineering and Management he became lecturer and researcher at the Military Academy. He attended the general staff officer course after which he worked as senior officer at the Defence Material Organization, in the strategy and planning branch at Army HQ and MoD level. Currently he is commander of the RAS-unit and involved in the RAS program since 2018. Sjoerd served in Macedonia, Albania and Afghanistan. He is married and has two children.

Major Charles Bradford

SO2 Future Force, British Army
Major Charles Bradford

Major Nicola Vecchione

Concept Development SO2, Italian Army General Staff
Major Nicola Vecchione

Maj. Nicola Vecchione currently serves as SO2 in the concept development branch, a subset of the Innovation and Space office of the Italian Army General Staff.
Before assuming the SO position in the Italian Army General Staff, Maj. Vecchione held numerous operational positions as field artillery officer, serving in various Operations, such as UNIFIL, “Prima Parthica” in Iraq and KTCC. As Staff Officer Maj. Vecchione served in planning and operations branches.
His program management experience, especially in CD&E experiments, spans from investigating the impact of Emerging & Disruptive Technologies in the way ITA Army conducts operations to various robotics autonomous systems programs for the Defense.

Major Peter Corvers

Program leader CUGS, Material & IT Command , Royal Netherlands Army
Major Peter Corvers

 Peter is a trained military engineer, designer and leader. He has led numerous innovation projects within the NLD Army, including the development of a framework of military design & innovation practices. He is currently assigned to the Material & IT Command where he is responsible for the Program CUGS.

Mr Alain Tremblay BGen (ret’d)

Vice-President Business Development and Innovation, Rheinmetall Canada Inc.
Mr Alain Tremblay BGen (ret’d)

Alain is a result-oriented executive with a solid experience in management of complex issues, strategic planning, government policy and leadership. This unique blend of strategic and tactical planning talents was acquired over the last 30 year through various positions held with the Canadian Forces, the Department of National Defence, the Privy Council Office and as an executive with Rheinmetall Canada.
Alain joined Rheinmetall Canada in march 2011. Prior to this appointment, he was serving in the Canadian Armed Forces commanding the Land Forces Quebec Area.
Between 1982 and 1996, he cumulated command and staff positions with the 3rd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment; 1st Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment in Lahr, Germany; the Headquarters 5e Groupe Brigade du Canada in Valcartier; the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment; and finally at [the] National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa and [in] the National Defence Operations Centre.
In April 1996, he was posted to the United Nations Mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina as military advisor to the Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General. Between October 1997 and July 1999, he assumed command of the 3rd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment. Afterwards, he was posted again to [the] National Defence Headquarters, Ottawa, in the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Group. He assumed the direction of the Canadian Forces Recruitment Group in July 2001. In 2004, Mr. Tremblay commanded a Task Force in Afghanistan. He was then selected to be part of the CF Transformation Team. In 2006, he was appointed as a Senior Policy Advisor at the Privy Council Office. From 2006 to 2010 he was the Director-General Land Capability Development for the Land Forces.
Mr. Tremblay is a graduate of the Collège Militaire Royal, the University of Sherbrooke, the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College, and the Canadian Forces Land Command and Staff College.

Mr Amish Patel

Senior Engineer - Unmanned Solutions , Pearson Engineering
Mr Amish Patel

 Amish Patel is a Senior Engineer at Pearson Engineering. After achieving an MEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Sheffield, Amish's journey at Pearson Engineering began in 2017 where he joined as a Graduate Engineer. Since joining, Amish has led on R&D developments within the robotics and autonomous arena. In his commitment to advancing in the field, Amish is currently on the path to achieving Chartered Engineer status with the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

The vast experience gained through testing and refining robotic systems for military end-users has allowed Amish to develop and refine solutions to aid combat engineers and their efforts. As the military world shifts towards a more robotic and autonomous mindset, his work has primarily focussed on the development of robotic and autonomous combat engineering equipment.

 

Mr Benjamin Fowle

BD Lead, Defence, Applied Intuition Inc.
Mr Benjamin Fowle

 Ben leads industry engagement for Applied Intuition Government, with a focus on major defense primes and international governments. He previously worked on Project Maven at Palantir and served for 18 years in overseas national security roles on behalf of the US government.

Mr Chris Gibbs

Commando Force Autonomy Lead, UK MOD, Navy Command Headquarters
Mr Chris Gibbs

Mr Duby Cohen

V.P system integration, Plasan Sasa Ltd
Mr Duby Cohen

Mr Guy Powell

Principal Advisor - Land Autonomy, DSTL
Mr Guy Powell

 Guy Powell is Principal Adviser (Mounted systems) to the Land Systems Programme within Dstl. He is also Principal Technical Authority for project JTARR (Joint Tactical Autonomous Resupply and Replenishment) leading a team conducting scientific assessment of RAS technologies, through trials and supporting studies of exemplar ground platforms. While the primary focus of this work is application to Autonomous Resupply, it will likely have wider applicability across a range of capabilities.
Guy has worked in Defence R&D for over 30 years across a breadth of technical areas including land platforms, Robotics & Autonomous Systems (RAS), weapons and energetic materials.

Mr James Cartlidge MP

Minister for Defence Procurement, Ministry of Defence
Mr James Cartlidge MP

 James Cartlidge MP was appointed a Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence on 21 April 2023. He was previously Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury from 28 October 2022 to 21 April 2023.
He was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice and Assistant Government Whip between 17 September 2021 and 7 July 2022.

 

Mr James Gavin

Head of the Future Capability Group, DE&S UK MoD
Mr James Gavin

 James Gavin is the head of the Future Capability Group (FCG) at Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S).

The FCG exists to help explore new capabilities so that they can then be exploited at scale. Increasingly projects are ‘Agile By Default’ to deliver early operational advantage. The Group works closely with all the Front-line Commands, DSTL and central MOD areas such as the DIU and DASA. James has served in the military, the civil service and industry before joining DE&S. He is a passionate advocate of delivering Operational Advantage through a better application of strategic thinking on innovation, inclusive cultures and sustainability.

Mr Mario Martinho

Project Officer Land Systems Technologies, European Defence Agency
Mr Mario Martinho

 Mario Martinho is the Head of the Capability & Technology Group Ground Systems at the European Defence Agency, responsible for coordinating the Agency’s Research and Technology activities for Military Land Systems.
The topics under his responsibility include combat and multipurpose platforms, manned and unmanned; integrated systems; soldier systems; combat engineering systems; protection of forces, including C-IED; and logistics for land operations.
In addition, Mario is responsible for the coordination of the EDA Action Plan on Autonomous Systems.
He holds a master’s degree in Military Engineering, a postgraduate qualification in Military Sciences – Security and Defence, and is a PhD candidate in Political Science.

Mr Markus Otsus

Project Coordinator, Estonian Military Academy
Mr Markus Otsus

 Markus Otsus is a project coordinator at the Estonian Military Academy’s Department of Applied Research. He has lead multiple projects relating to the field of unmanned ground vehicles within the Estonian Defence Forces as well as participated in various EDIDP and EDA projects. Having started as a UGV operator at various field training exercises with the Estonian Defence Forces, he has since conducted numerous field tests, social and ethical studies relating to the use of UGVs and most recently help conduct the first Unmanned Ground Vehicles Autonomy Trials in Estonia.

Mr Martin Joesaar

Project Officer, European Commission
Mr Martin Joesaar

 Mr Martin Jõesaar served in the Estonian Defence Forces for 16 years as an officer. He added valuable contribution into the integration of Short Range Air Defence Missile Systems to the existing units at the early stage of his career. However, the latter part and the majority of his time was spent on helping to build up the Special Operations Forces Unit in order to meet the new challenges of NATO. This included different command positions within in the structure and contribution as an instructor and an operations officer at the HQ, including a deployment to Afghanistan under CJSOTF10 in 2012.
In 2019, Mr Jõesaar left the military in a rank of major and joined the Defence Industry side instead as the COO of an unmanned aerial systems developer and producer Threod Systems, based in Estonia. Additionally to the everyday coordination, ensuring the smooth process flow internally in the factory, one of the main roles for him was sharing the end-user experience. Threod Systems specialises on providing the state of the art equipment tailored according to the needs of the military and security forces. In which it is crucial to understand the intelligence collection details and its connections to the higher level HQ planning process for providing the full solution for the clients.
In the end of 2020, Mr Jõesaar accepted the offer to become the representative of the participating member states of the iMUGS project. By being the link between the industry consortium and the participating nations, he will play the key role in ensuring the full transparency of the project and helping all counterparts to understand the process in the mutual way. Coordinating such a complex international and multilingual project was the kind of challenge he gladly accepted.

Mr Nicholas Valentine

Lead Engineer - Human Machine Teaming, Future Capability Group, DE&S
Mr Nicholas Valentine

 Nicky is the Lead Engineer on the British Army’s Human Machine Teaming project. He has an MSc in Robotics and Automation and a BEng in Mechanical Engineering. Following graduation he completed the DE&S engineering graduate scheme with placements including the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, Clearpath Robotics and Horiba MIRA. In his time in the Future Capability Group he has taken a leading technical role on Robotic Platoon Vehicles, Heavy UGV Challenge, and the Leader Follower logistics element of Project THESEUS. An Army Reservist, in 2017 he deployed as an infrastructure engineer on Op KIPION, designing and delivering infrastructure across Ops TORAL and SHADER, and is now a Troop Sgt in the Royal Engineers Railway Team.

Mr Raul Rikk

Capability Development Director, Milrem Robotics
Mr Raul Rikk

 Raul Rikk has been the strategy and development director of Milrem Robotics since 2022. His areas of responsibility are strategic planning, development of military robotics concepts and execution of long-term development projects, including EU and NATO projects.

Previously, he worked as the director of national cyber security at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, and his main role was to manage, organize and coordinate the provision of national cyber security domestically and internationally, compile relevant policies and development plans and monitor their implementation and performance, lead initiatives and prepare draft legislation regulating the field.

Before that, Raul was involved in the development of digital society and cyber security capabilities in various countries and international projects. He is one of the founders of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence leading its creation in 2004 - 2008. www.ccdcoe.org Also, he has been the creator of the National Cyber Security Index - www.ncsi.ega.ee

Raul has worked in the field of national defense and security since 1994. He has a master's degree in national defense management from the Finnish National Defense University and a master's degree in information technology management from Tallinn University. He is also a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College.

Mr Robert Seymour

Vice-President C4I & Cyber , Elbit Systems U K
Mr Robert  Seymour

 Bob served in the British Army for 22 years, originally as a Royal Signals officer and latterly in the Army Air Corps (AAC). He completed tours of North Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq (3 tours) and Afghanistan (2 tours). A graduate of Army Command and Staff College, he was also Military Assistant (MA) to Commander Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) and head of JHC Future Plans. He is still an active Reservist and is currently a Colonel working for Stratcom.
He transitioned to industry in 2015 as a Business Development Director for BT Defence and Security working on New Style of IT (NSoIT) and SkyNet 6 Service Delivery Wrap (SDW). He also led the BT ‘Headquarters of the Future’ for Strategic Command. He subsequently became Defence Director for Prolinx, a secure defence and government cloud and end point provider. During this time Prolinx provided one of the four key cloud pillars into Defence Digital ASDT. In 2019, Bob become the Cyber and Electromagnetic Activity (CEMA) Campaign Director for Roke, providing Electronic Warfare capability into thirteen countries as well as leading UK CEMA research and development with DSTL. Bob took over as ESUK VP C4I and Cyber in Sept 2021. The Business Unit (BU) is centred around four key areas; tactical communications including the E-LYNX family of SDR, battle management systems built on the combat proven ECIX tactical middleware, robotics and autonomy (RAS) and cyber. The BU provided the BMA under Morpheus EvO and is delivering the Dismounted Joint Fires Integrator (DJFI) and several RAS capabilities to the UK MoD as well as exports to Canada.
After three attempts due to COVID, Bob got married in early June 22 and has two young children. When time permits, he enjoys ski mountaineering, road cycling and military history.

Mr Robert Howe

Senior System Architect, Royal Netherlands Army
Mr Robert Howe

 Spanning +40 years, Robert’s background is in system and software engineering for complex industrial systems. He is also an entrepreneur who has founded, grown and divested two Netherlands-based software engineering companies.

Mr Ronen Brill

Head of RAS Business Development, Elbit Systems U K
Mr Ronen Brill

Mr Santiago Gambon

Director of International Business Development, Ghost Robotics
Mr Santiago Gambon

 Santiago Gambón Cerdá is the Director of International Business Development at Ghost Robotics. In his current role, Santiago leads global efforts, delivering tailored solutions for complex challenges by understanding market trends and client needs. Mr. Gambón has vast knowledge in the field of robotics and remotely piloted aircraft systems. With over seven years of industry experience excelling in business development and client relations, he effectively bridges engineering teams with end-users for successful system implementation and business growth.

Mr Steven Herrick

Product Manager, Robotic Combat Vehicle, Product Lead Future Battle Platforms FBP, US Army
Mr Steven Herrick

 Mr. Steven Herrick is the Product Manager for the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (PM RCV) program.
Mr. Herrick is responsible for all cost, schedule and performance for both hardware and software programs that will deliver the Army’s first RCV Brigade Combat Teams.
The RCV Hardware program will deliver a safe, reliable, and remotely operated combat vehicle with a modular open systems architecture approach and system design to support continuous growth and enhancement of RCV capabilities.
The RCV Software program will deliver the software, development infrastructure, and processes to support persistent modernization and enhancement of RCV capabilities.

Mr Tiago Lanca

Project Officer Innovation, European Defence Agency
Mr Tiago Lanca

 Tiago Mendes Lança is as a Project Officer for Innovation at the European Defence Agency. His role in the Hub for European Defence Innovation (HEDI) includes activities related to the Uptake of Innovation. He served the Portuguese Navy as a naval officer for 12 years, in various roles on board warships, with deployments in several real-world operations, notably EUNAVFOR ATALANTA (Gulf of Aden), the Flag Officer Sea Training with the Royal Navy, humanitarian disaster relief operations in Africa and various multinational joint exercises. He was a staff officer in the Portuguese Navy Fleet Command (N3/N5 Operations and Planning). In 2017 he was the founder of the Unmanned Systems Operational Experimentation Unit (CEOV), a new technological guerrilla unit that performed experimentation and rapid prototyping with unmanned systems, which supported both capacity building efforts and operations with Portuguese Marine Corps and Navy SOF. He supported the development of Portuguese Navy's maritime operational experimentation center (CEOM) in Troia, and the REP MUS exercise series. In 2020, he was seconded as a national expert to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) where he coordinated the implementation of research and innovation pilot projects related with surveillance and border control, in particular, a maritime surveillance Aerostat project in Greece, the Prize Contest on the Detection of Low Flying Objects in Estonia and a project on the integration Vertical Take Off and Landing UAVs on board maritime assets in Italy for coast guard functions.

Ms Anna Dowle

Management Consultant, British Army Headquarters
Ms Anna Dowle

 A seasoned veteran of the Women's Royal Naval Service, boasting an extensive 20+ years tenure in the private sector, proficient in spearheading multi-million-pound Projects, Programmes, and Portfolios across diverse sectors, particularly within Government Departments. Notable expertise lies in Enterprise and Strategic risk management. Presently, serving as a Business Consultant within the British Army Headquarters, while concurrently pursuing a Professional Doctorate in Security and Risk Management (DSyRM). This doctoral focus centres on unravelling the intricate Human Factors imperative in the development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Weapon Systems.

Ms Georgia Hinds

Legal Adviser, International Committee of the Red Cross
Ms Georgia Hinds

Georgia is a Legal Adviser with the ICRC, working on the legal and humanitarian implications of autonomous weapons, AI and other new technologies of warfare. Previously, she was Head of Legal for the ICRC in the Philippines and has also served as the Regional Legal Adviser for ICRC in the Pacific.
Prior to joining the ICRC, Georgia worked in the Office of International Law, Australian Attorney-General's Department, advising the Australian Government on public international law including international humanitarian and human rights law, and international criminal law. She practiced as a solicitor in commercial law in Brisbane, Sydney and Singapore, and has also served as a Reservist Officer with the Australian Army.
Georgia holds a Master of Laws in International Law (Distinction) from the Australian National University, a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Bachelor of Arts from Griffith University and is admitted as solicitor of the Supreme Court of the Queensland and the High Court of Australia.

 

Ms Nataliia Kushnerska

Chief Operating Officer, Brave1
Ms Nataliia Kushnerska

 For 15 years, Nataliia has been the General manager at the event agency Diplomat Service, leading more than 50 projects in Ukraine and abroad. Nataliia also has experience working with government institutions; she’s been an advisor to the First Deputy Minister of Economy. Since early 2023, as Chief Operations Officer at the Ukrainian defense tech cluster Brave1, Nataliia has been responsible for cooperation with government institutions, enterprises, developers, funds, startups, and Ukrainian Defense tech representatives. With Brave1 officially launched on April 26th, 2023, Nataliia and her team unite the Defense tech ecosystem, scale it up, and push it forward to bring the victory closer through tech innovations.

Ms Verena Jackson

Legal Advisor, Researcher & Lecturer, University of the Armed Forces of Germany
Ms Verena Jackson

Verena Jackson is a Legal Advisor and Researcher& Lecturer at Center for Intelligence & Security Studies (CISS) at the University of the Armed Forces of Germany.
After completing her legal studies with a focus on International and European Law in Germany and Spain, she worked for international law firms and the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies (a partnership institute of the German and US Military). She also has additional training in American Law from the 7th Army JMTC Staff Judge Advocate, Grafenwoehr Germany.
Her academic research and expertise to the Federal Ministry of Defense focus on legal aspects of the use of AI in military and emerging technologies, c-UAVs and Cyberoperations.
 

Ms Zoe Stanley-Lockman

Innovation Unit, Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber Division, NATO
Ms Zoe Stanley-Lockman

 Zoe Stanley-Lockman is an Innovation Officer in NATO’s Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber Division at NATO Headquarters. In this role, she works at the strategy level to accelerate adoption of emerging and disruptive technologies. Zoe previously worked on military innovation at research institutes in Paris, Brussels and Singapore. She has published on military innovation and technology governance with Oxford University Press, Georgetown University, the Journal for Strategic Studies, and various research institutes. Originally from the United States, she holds a Master’s degree in International Security and Defence Economics from Sciences Po Paris and a Bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University.

With a new focus on the implementation, integration, and interoperability, alongside the key areas of situational awareness, lethality, manoeuvrability, survivability, and sustainability, the Military Robotics and Autonomous Systems 2024 conference is the best place to fully equip you with the latest information from militaries and industries across the globe. Allowing you to take home and implement best practice amongst your teams and programs.

Who should attend?

National Militaries & Government:

  • MRAS & RAS operations leaders
  • Equipment procurement officers
  • Technical experts
  • Government officials

Industry:

  • Businesses looking to break into the market
  • Established players looking to expand their contacts and knowledge
  • Innovators in MRAS.

Transnational/Continental/Euro-Atlantic Organisations:

  • Organisations who wish to balance allied defence capability
  • Organisations looking to establish and build on partnerships
     
  • Gain key insights into the developments within the industry, at MRAS the leading event dedicated to military land robotics developments and priorities.
  • Take note from the leaders and innovators from senior UK, NATO and allied land robotics programme managers to better your organisations programmes.
  • Get a head start by discovering the latest knowledge on advancement of land robotics capabilities, including implementation, integration, and interoperability, situational awareness, lethality, manoeuvrability, survivability, and sustainability.
  • Explore new ideas from other nations and experts to help your organisation evolve, on Unmanned Combat Vehicles, Enhancing Autonomous Capabilities and Battlefield Manned/Unmanned Teaming.
  • Connect with the best from both military and industry to discuss modernisation and optimisation of the future military land robotics and grow your network.

sponsors

Unlike other events, we strive to deliver real insight and learning experiences through the expertly selected participants who run our discussions ensuring the latest developments from all parts of the community (industry and military) are covered, in detail.
 
This three-day event is your gateway to interacting with key stakeholders spanning military, government, and industry, offering a comprehensive exploration of the sector's future. Immerse yourself in unparalleled networking opportunities at this conference.

To discuss your involvement as a sponsor contact Callum Kenmure, Sponsorship Manager on +44 (0) 20 7827 6138 or Callum.Kenmure@saemediagroup.com.

Conference agenda

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8:30

Registration and Coffee

For the first time ever, the Military Robotics and Autonomous Systems conference will feature a dedicated pre-conference Focus Day on the Operationalisation of Uncrewed Systems. As Uncrewed systems continue to be proliferated in Ukraine and NATO nations begin to host tactical experiments with mission capable UXS’s more frequently, the RAS community need to focus on how to operationalise these systems safely and effectively.
The new Operationalising Uncrewed Systems Focus Day will allow attendee’s to hear from the leading NATO nations in operationalising these systems, and how they achieving this safely and effectively, to achieve battlefield advantage.
This dedicated focus day will also build upon last years conference with an afternoon session focussing on Ethical Considerations when Developing and Integrating Autonomous Systems.

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9:20

Chairman's Opening Remarks

Mr Martin Joesaar, Project Officer, European Commission

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9:30

Experimentation & Trails Group – How RAS is being Tested & Implemented into the Future Force

Colonel Toby Till, Commander, Experimentation and Trials Group, British Army

  • An Overview of the E&T groups and ways of working
• Current Projects and Priorities
• What we need from our Industry Partners

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10:00

FCG Briefing: Changing Demand Signals in the Wake of the Ukraine War

Mr James Gavin, Head of the Future Capability Group, DE&S UK MoD

 • Who FCG are in the innovation ecosystem
• Lessons and directions resulting on UxS (Air, Land, Sea)
• Opportunities resulting

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10:30

Tactical Experiments with CUGS and Near Future Developments

Lieutenant Colonel Sjoerd Mevissen, Commander of Robotics and Autonomous Systems Unit, Royal Netherlands Army

  • Results from tactical experimentation
  • Partnering with allies
  • Path to operationalisation
  • clock

    11:00

    Morning Coffee

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    11:30

    The EDA Action Plan on Autonomous Systems (APAS)

    Mr Mario Martinho, Project Officer Land Systems Technologies, European Defence Agency

     • Vision, aim and concept of the EDA Action Plan on Autonomous Systems
    • The challenges of future Autonomous Systems
    • The APAS implementation – action lines, roadmap, management scheme and coordination with other EU entities

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    12:00

    The Hub for European Defence Innovation (HEDI): Accelerating the Uptake of Innovations

    Mr Tiago Lanca, Project Officer Innovation, European Defence Agency

  •  Overview of EDA's Hub for European Defence Innovation (HEDI)
  • HEDI’s portfolio of Services and Activities
  • Uptake of Innovation - Autonomous Systems for Cross-domain Logistics
  • clock

    12:30

    Networking Lunch

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    13:30

    Building an ‘Army of Robots’

    Ms Nataliia Kushnerska, Chief Operating Officer, Brave1

     • Brave-1 – Driving Innovation to aid the War effort in Ukraine
    • Uniting State, Military and Private Sector Developers to Provide Cutting Edge Capabilities on the Battlefield
    • Current Progress in Building an ‘Army of Robots’

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    14:00

    Don’t Forget the Human - Enhancing Deployment and Operation of Automated Weapon Systems in the UK Armed Forces

    Ms Anna Dowle, Management Consultant, British Army Headquarters

     • The Importance of Practical Training in order to Improve Operational Capabilities of AWS
    • Levels of Information Required for Confident Utilisation of AWS
    • Promoting Safe, Responsible and Effective use of AWS in the British Army

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    14:30

    Afternoon Tea

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    15:00

    Legal Frameworks for Using Autonomous Systems: Challenges to International Law

    Ms Verena Jackson, Legal Advisor, Researcher & Lecturer, University of the Armed Forces of Germany

     • Principles of the Law of Armed Conflict: outlining international legal regulations for the use of autonomous systems in military operations
    • Identifying limits of autonomous systems and the required degree of human-machine interaction
    • Future steps for ensuring MRAS are compliant with international and humanitarian law

     

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    15:30

    Increasing Autonomy in Weapons Systems & Humanitarian Operations

    Ms Georgia Hinds, Legal Adviser, International Committee of the Red Cross

  • Outlining ICRC’s understanding of autonomous weapon systems, along with potential humanitarian, legal and ethical concerns, and ICRC’s recommendations in response
  • Brief introduction to ICRC’s work on weapons and new technologies
  • Applications of robotic and autonomous systems in humanitarian action in conflict zones, and considerations for humanitarians
  • clock

    16:00

    The Defence Integrated Procurement Model

    Mr James Cartlidge MP, Minister for Defence Procurement, Ministry of Defence

    clock

    16:30

    Chairman's Closing Remarks

    Mr Martin Joesaar, Project Officer, European Commission

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    7:15

    Registration and Coffee

    clock

    8:20

    Chairman's Opening Remarks

    Mr Martin Joesaar, Project Officer, European Commission

    clock

    8:30

    Future Warfare: The Role of Autonomous Systems within the British Army

    Brigadier Mike Cornwell

    Brigadier Mike Cornwell, Head Future Force Development, British Army

     • Looking to the future of the British Army
    • How Autonomous Systems will be integrated into the future British Army
    • What are we doing about it now?

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    9:00

    Orchestrating Robotics and Autonomy at the Tactical Level

     Bob Seymour (VP C4I and Cyber and Colonel in Army Reserves) and Ronen Brill (Head of RAS Business Development) will identify the known challenges known with tactical UAS in global conflict zones and why the ability to orchestrate UAS at the tactical level is imperative to integrate with the Battle Management C2, Battlespace Management and Counter-UAS. This allows Commanders to dominate the near surface and deny it to their adversary and payloads and platforms irrespective of UAV or UGV to integrate effectively into the execution of the plan and provide a ‘service’ to sub-tactical users at their point of need.

    Mr Robert Seymour, Vice-President C4I & Cyber , Elbit Systems U K

    Mr Ronen Brill

    Mr Ronen Brill, Head of RAS Business Development, Elbit Systems U K

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    9:30

    The Defence Uncrewed Systems Strategy

    Lieutenant Colonel Simon Pope, SO1 C4ISR, Ministry of Defence

    • Outline how Defence is implementing the lessons it has learned from recent conflicts and the proliferation of uncrewed systems.
    • Outline the changes the MoD is making across regulation, acquisition, research and development/test and evaluation, digital integration test and system standards to implement DCPR and work more closely with industry.
    • Seek feedback from stakeholders across Defence, industry and international partners.

    clock

    10:00

    Session Reserved for Applied Intuition

    Mr Benjamin Fowle, BD Lead, Defence, Applied Intuition Inc.

    clock

    10:30

    Morning Coffee

    clock

    11:00

    Shaping and Enhancing the Future Force of the Australian Army through RAS Capabilities

    Colonel David Robertson, Director Robotic & Autonomous Systems Implementation & Coordination Office RICO, Australian Army

     • Adapting the Australian Army’s RAS Strategy
    • Current RAS projects
    • Approach and Outcomes

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    11:30

    Robotic Combat Vehicle Program – Developing a Modular and Capable Combat UGV

    Mr Steven Herrick, Product Manager, Robotic Combat Vehicle, Product Lead Future Battle Platforms FBP, US Army

     • Delivering an Robotic Combat Vehicle Platform
    • Multi-Pathway Acquisition approach to Hardware and Software
    • Maximizing Commercial Industry Software Investments and Adapting to Military Applications for Persistent Modernization

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    12:00

    AFC International Collaboration Opportunities to Enhance Ground Robotics Capabilities

    Colonel Charles Seaberry, Director, AFC-International, US Army

     
    • DEVCOM Atlantic: mission and vision
    • Enhancing capability through international partnerships
    • Industry opportunities to collaborate with US Army DEVCOM

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    12:30

    Networking Lunch

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    13:30

    Chair's Opening Remarks

    Mr Markus Otsus, Project Coordinator, Estonian Military Academy

    Ground Robotics have played a significant role in deployed operations since their original introduction over 2 decades ago. Since then, there has been an ongoing focus on how these systems can be further integrated with their human counterparts, including a continuing effort to enhance their autonomy and increase operational effectiveness.
    This stream will provide a comprehensive overview on how military forces and industry counterparts are developing greater autonomy for RAS and the move towards enhanced Human Machine Teaming.

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    13:40

    Developing Autonomy: The Importance of Trial and Error

    Mr Markus Otsus, Project Coordinator, Estonian Military Academy

     • Unmanned Ground Vehicles Autonomy Trials
    • Capabilities and Limitations of current platforms
    • Lessons and Insights – The path to true autonomy

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    14:10

    From Today to Tomorrow: Land Robotics Capability

    Mr Raul Rikk, Capability Development Director, Milrem Robotics

     • What is the current technological capability in the field of military land robotics?
    • How to achieve an operational effect with current technological possibilities?
    • In what direction will robotics develop in the coming years and in the long term?

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    14:40

    Afternoon Tea

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    15:10

    Developing Autonomy for Unmanned Systems; from Design to Practical Implementation

    Lieutenant Colonel Martijn Hadicke

    Lieutenant Colonel Martijn Hadicke, Commander RAS Innovation Program, Royal Netherlands Army

     • How to get to true autonomy for UGV’s
    • Testing and Evaluation – successes and challenges
    • How will we use Autonomous Systems

     

    clock

    15:40

    Session Reserved for Ghost Robotics

    Mr Santiago Gambon, Director of International Business Development, Ghost Robotics

    clock

    16:10

    Task Distribution in Human-Machine Teaming in the Context of Use of Fires and Enhancing the Artillery Kill Chain Through Autonomous Systems

    Captain Aleksanteri Siren, Teacher of Artillery Tactics, Finnish National Defence University

     • Autonomous systems in the use of fires
    • Artillery kill chain: Task distribution between human and machine
    • Preliminary findings from first round of Delphi-interviews

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    16:40

    Pathways Towards Multi-Domain Integration for UK Robotics & Autonomous Systems

    Dr Sidharth Kauhsal, Research Fellow, Sea Power, RUSI

     • Multidomain integration for RAS varies depending on the use case
    for different types of RAS
    • Ideally, a tiered approach to integration should be adopted
    • In due course hardware integration may come to achieve a status
    coequal to or more important than software led integration

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    17:10

    Chair's Closing remarks

    Mr Markus Otsus, Project Coordinator, Estonian Military Academy

    clock

    13:30

    Chair's Opening Remarks

    Brigadier (Retd) Ian Cameron-Mowat, Director, IMP Castle Associates Limited

    Robotics and Autonomous Systems have played a key role in deployed operations in contested environments since their original development and introduction to military operations. This stream will provide a comprehensive update on the current and future role of RAS will play in the future battlespace, one which is inceaslingly contested with EW and other uncrewed platforms. 

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    13:40

    Effectiveness of an expendable unmanned ground vehicle defending against a mechanised infantry company’s - a virtual simulation experiment- PART II

    Captain Christian Andersson, Research Officer, department of War Technology , Finnish National Defence University

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    14:10

    Hybridization Done Differently

    Mr Duby Cohen

    Mr Duby Cohen, V.P system integration, Plasan Sasa Ltd

     • The need in electrification & robotic
    • Can you get single solution for both needs ?
    • The key feature: Availability

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    14:40

    Afternoon Tea

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    15:10

    The Right Vehicle for the Right Mission at the Right Time

    Mr Alain Tremblay BGen (ret’d), Vice-President Business Development and Innovation, Rheinmetall Canada Inc.

     1. Choosing the correct platform vehicle for successful missions.
    2. Defining the operational design domain is key to enabling practical autonomy.
    3. Defining and adhering to the correct type of platform for specific use cases.
    4. Minimum viable autonomy: the correct amount of autonomous functionality required for a system to perform successful missions.
    5. The role of the operator: RAS will remove soldiers from dull, dirty and dangerous situations whilst increasing their situational awareness and tempo. However, operator requires adequate training and experience to build confidence and knowledge to achieve system predictability.
    6. Lessons from the modern battlefield and the increasing use of UGVs

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    15:40

    Optimising UGV's for the Future Battlespace

    Brigadier (Retd) Ian Cameron-Mowat, Director, IMP Castle Associates Limited

    Mr Raul Rikk, Capability Development Director, Milrem Robotics

    Major Charles Bradford

    Major Charles Bradford, SO2 Future Force, British Army

    Major Peter Corvers, Program leader CUGS, Material & IT Command , Royal Netherlands Army

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    16:25

    Czech Developments in Autonomous Ground Robotic Systems

    Colonel Jan Mazal, Head of the Military Robotics Department , University of Defence, Czech Armed Forces

     • Progress of current military RAS projects being developed by the Department of Military Robotics and its partners
    • Off-road autonomy research and experiments
    • Updates on the UGV development for pyrotechnical and logistics operations
    • Operational Intelligence for military robots
    • Conceptual findings and issues from RAS R&D

    clock

    16:55

    Chair's Closing remarks

    Brigadier (Retd) Ian Cameron-Mowat, Director, IMP Castle Associates Limited

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    17:15

    Networking Reception

    clock

    8:00

    Registration and Coffee

    clock

    8:50

    Chairman's Opening Remarks

    Mr Martin Joesaar, Project Officer, European Commission

    clock

    9:00

    The British Army Human Machine Teaming Project

    Colonel Tim Wright, Assistant Head, Research and Experimentation, Futures Directorate, Army Headquarters

     • Developing an Integrated Find and Strike Capability at the Battle Group Level
    • Our approach and the UK industry ecosystem
    • A View to 2025 and beyond

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    9:30

    Continuing the Drive for Autonomy Development and Human Machine Teaming at Dstl

    Mr Guy Powell, Principal Advisor - Land Autonomy, DSTL

     
    • Enhancing Testing and Evaluation processes for RAS development
    • Exploiting Human Machine Teaming at Dstl – Creating
    collaborative teams between unmanned systems and their human
    operators for maximum battlefield efficiency
    • Progress towards tackling autonomous challenges
    • Will draw on on-going work and developing concepts

     

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    10:00

    NATO’s Strategic Approach to Autonomy

    Ms Zoe Stanley-Lockman, Innovation Unit, Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber Division, NATO

     • In 2022, Allied Defence Ministers endorsed NATO’s first overarching strategic document addressing autonomous technologies: NATO’s Autonomy Implementation Plan. This presentation will introduce the main thrusts of NATO’s efforts related to autonomous technologies, including:
    o Championing responsible development and use
    o Accelerating adoption of autonomous technologies
    o Safeguarding against threats
    o Engaging Innovation Ecosystems

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    10:30

    Morning Coffee

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    11:00

    How to turn CUGS R&D and Experimental results into an Operational Capability?

    The challenges of developing combat unmanned ground vehicles and systems are increasingly well understood. However, there is a large gap between the results of R&D and experimental work and the realisation of an operational capability. The Royal Netherlands Army has initiated a program to deliver an operational CUGS capability. In this presentation, we discuss the characteristics of this program and its implications for our organisation.

    Mr Robert Howe, Senior System Architect, Royal Netherlands Army

    Major Peter Corvers, Program leader CUGS, Material & IT Command , Royal Netherlands Army

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    11:30

    Norwegian Research and Experimentation with Unmanned Vehicles

     • UGV and MUM-T Research
    • Norwegian Army Future Combat Unit Organization and Technology Focus
    • Artic Winter Experiments 2024

    Dr Kim Mathiassen, Research Manager, FFI (Norwegian Defence Research Establishment)

    Lieutenant Colonel Mikkel Gorsetbakk, Chief Army Combat Laboratory, Norwegian Army Land Warfare Centre

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    12:00

    Networking Lunch

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    13:15

    Chair's Opening Remarks

    Mr Guy Powell, Principal Advisor - Land Autonomy, DSTL

    With the next stage of RAS evolution comes a focus on developing Heavy Uncrewed Ground Vehicles, including those which can be optionally crewed on the battlefield. This stream will feature updates from leading military UGV programmes, as well as industry solution providers at the forefront of developing this next-generation capability.

    clock

    13:25

    Combat Engineering in a Robotic and Autonomous World

    Mr Amish Patel, Senior Engineer - Unmanned Solutions , Pearson Engineering

      • Approach to Combat Engineering today
    • Introducing RCV-Pioneer
    • RCV-Pioneer Capabilities
    • Experimentation Phases
    • A Robotic Combat Engineering Outlook

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    13:55

    Mounted Close Combat – The Future of Robotics and Autonomous Systems

     • Exploring MCC UGV opportunities for the British Army
    • Lessons learned from the MCC UGV Challenge
    • Path to deployment – MCC UGV’s in the Modern Battle Space

    Major Charles Bradford

    Major Charles Bradford, SO2 Future Force, British Army

    Lieutenant Colonel James de St John-Pryce, Commanding Officer, Armoured Trials & Development Unit (ATDU)

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    14:25

    Requirements for UGVs: What did we learn from RPV?

    Mr Nicholas Valentine, Lead Engineer - Human Machine Teaming, Future Capability Group, DE&S

     • I will be: comparing the performance of generic UGVs against their proposed use cases
    • Explain a select number of the requirements that emerged through experimentation
    • And drawing out some of the common problems, and how we looked to overcome them

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    14:55

    Afternoon Tea

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    15:25

    Manned-Unmanned Teaming in Convoy Operations - EDF COMMANDS

    Dr Elias Stipidis, CEO Vetronics Research Centre EU Ltd & Techniical Director, COMMANDS Project , Vetronics Research Centre EU Ltd

      • Anticipation, Resilience and Synergy – using UxV’s to address these
    contemporary challenges
    • Increasing capabilities for cooperation between domains and
    humans and machines
    • Becoming competitive, acquiring game changing technologies

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    15:55

    Chair's Closing remarks

    Mr Guy Powell, Principal Advisor - Land Autonomy, DSTL

    clock

    13:15

    Chair's Opening Remarks

    Mr Martin Joesaar, Project Officer, European Commission

    The dismounted soldier has always, and continues to be, the backbone of any armed forces. One of the most important roles of uncrewed systems is how these technologies can further support the dismounted soldier in conducting their operations. This stream will discuss in great detail how RAS and AI can enhance mission support for the dismounted soldier, focussing on how RAS and AI and be integrated into future operations for roles including resupply, situational awareness and reducing the soldier’s cognitive burden.

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    13:25

    Italian RAS campaign: the results of one year of experimentation

    Major Nicola Vecchione, Concept Development SO2, Italian Army General Staff

     • Campaign framework and current progress
    • Objectives, activities and challenges of the campaign
    • Results and future developments

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    13:55

    How RAS and AI will Support the Future Dismounted Soldier

    Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Dawe, Commanding Officer Infantry Trials and Development Unit, ITDU, British Army

     • Leveraging AI to enhance the Digital Effects Web
    • Data for decision superiority; making the dismounted soldier more lethal
    • Impact of AI on dismounted soldier cognition

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    14:25

    Supporting the Integration of RAS & AI into the Future Soldier

    Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Hanlon, SO1 Soldier Systems, British Army

     • Enhance the lethality, agility, and resilience of our soldiers through RAS and AI
    • How Soldierworks supports the integration of RAS & AI capabilities.
    • Additional challenges of integrating RAS & AI as part of a soldier system.

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    14:55

    Afternoon Tea

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    15:25

    The Future Commando Force – Digital Transformation and Human Machine Teaming

    Mr Chris Gibbs

    Mr Chris Gibbs, Commando Force Autonomy Lead, UK MOD, Navy Command Headquarters

     • Overview of current UxS in the air and maritime to meet the Future Commando Force headmark
    • Delivering UxS Network Integration through EVE Tactical CIS
    • UAS swarming capabilities for situational awareness and heavy lift autonomous resupply of Marines in the field
    • Opportunities and challenges for Human/Uncrewed Teaming resulting from Exercise Advanced Autonomous Force

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    15:55

    Chair's Closing Remarks

    Mr Martin Joesaar, Project Officer, European Commission


    Head Future Force Development
    British Army
    Assistant Head, Research and Experimentation, Futures Directorate
    Army Headquarters
    Commander, Experimentation and Trials Group
    British Army
    Head of the Future Capability Group
    DE&S UK MoD
    Principal Advisor - Land Autonomy
    DSTL
    Commander of Robotics and Autonomous Systems Unit
    Royal Netherlands Army
    Commander RAS Innovation Program
    Royal Netherlands Army
    Director
    IMP Castle Associates Limited
    Teacher of Artillery Tactics
    Finnish National Defence University
    Research Officer, department of War Technology
    Finnish National Defence University
    Director, AFC-International
    US Army
    Director Robotic & Autonomous Systems Implementation & Coordination Office RICO
    Australian Army
    Head of the Military Robotics Department
    University of Defence, Czech Armed Forces
    Project Manager XM30 Combat Vehicle
    US Army Program Executive Office (PEO) Ground Combat Systems (GCS)
    CEO Vetronics Research Centre EU Ltd & Techniical Director, COMMANDS Project
    Vetronics Research Centre EU Ltd
    Research Manager
    FFI (Norwegian Defence Research Establishment)
    Research Fellow, Sea Power
    RUSI
    Commanding Officer Infantry Trials and Development Unit, ITDU
    British Army
    Commanding Officer
    Armoured Trials & Development Unit (ATDU)
    SO1 Soldier Systems
    British Army
    Chief Army Combat Laboratory
    Norwegian Army Land Warfare Centre
    SO1 C4ISR
    Ministry of Defence
    SO2 Future Force
    British Army
    Concept Development SO2
    Italian Army General Staff
    Program leader CUGS, Material & IT Command
    Royal Netherlands Army
    Vice-President Business Development and Innovation
    Rheinmetall Canada Inc.
    Senior Engineer - Unmanned Solutions
    Pearson Engineering
    BD Lead, Defence
    Applied Intuition Inc.
    Commando Force Autonomy Lead
    UK MOD, Navy Command Headquarters
    V.P system integration
    Plasan Sasa Ltd
    Minister for Defence Procurement
    Ministry of Defence
    Project Officer Land Systems Technologies
    European Defence Agency
    Project Coordinator
    Estonian Military Academy
    Project Officer
    European Commission
    Lead Engineer - Human Machine Teaming
    Future Capability Group, DE&S
    Capability Development Director
    Milrem Robotics
    Vice-President C4I & Cyber
    Elbit Systems U K
    Senior System Architect
    Royal Netherlands Army
    Head of RAS Business Development
    Elbit Systems U K
    Director of International Business Development
    Ghost Robotics
    Product Manager, Robotic Combat Vehicle, Product Lead Future Battle Platforms FBP
    US Army
    Project Officer Innovation
    European Defence Agency
    Management Consultant
    British Army Headquarters
    Legal Adviser
    International Committee of the Red Cross
    Chief Operating Officer
    Brave1
    Legal Advisor, Researcher & Lecturer
    University of the Armed Forces of Germany
    Innovation Unit, Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber Division
    NATO

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    Speaker Interview - Mr Steven Herrick

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    Preliminary Attendee List

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    Speaker Interview - Ms Georgia Hinds

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    Speaker Interview - Mr James Gavin

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    Past Attendee List

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    Chair's Letter

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    Sponsorship Prospectus

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    Sponsors and Exhibitors


    Applied Intuition

    Gold Sponsor
    http://www.appliedintuition.com/

    As the foremost enabler of autonomous vehicle development, Applied Intuition equips engineering, product, and testing teams with software that makes it faster, safer, and easier to bring autonomy to both commercial and defense markets. Applied’s suite of products focuses on all domain simulation and analytics for development, testing, and evaluation. Companies of all sizes use Applied to comprehensively test and rapidly accelerate their autonomous vehicle development. Headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in Washington DC, Los Angeles, Detroit, Tokyo, Munich, and Seoul, Applied is composed of software and automotive experts from the top companies in the world (such as Google, Amazon, Apple, Waymo, Tesla, Aptiv, GM, and Bosch). Applied Intuition is a non-traditional small business that is leveraging its commercial technologies and successes to accelerate autonomy in defense.


    Elbit Systems UK

    Gold Sponsor
    https://www.elbitsystems-uk.com/

    Elbit Systems UK is an innovative Defence Technology company employing over 680 people across sixteen sites in the UK. Manufacturing and integrating advanced technology for the UK Armed Forces and our allies, our extensive portfolio provides cutting-edge capabilities for the British Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force, protecting the UK at home and abroad.

    We work on a range of technologies for both military and civilian applications to meet our customer requirements. With a focus on UK sovereignty the Elbit Systems UK supply chain creates and sustains jobs around Great Britain. Utilising this established network of partners and suppliers we support the MOD as they deliver for our Armed Forces.

    Elbit Systems UK is a subsidiary of Elbit Systems Ltd (NASDAQ and TASE: ESLT), an international high technology company with a presence in dozens of countries. Elbit Systems develops and supplies a range of airborne, land and naval systems and services for Defence, homeland security and commercial applications worldwide.


    Sponsors and Exhibitors


    C3IA

    Sponsors and Exhibitors
    https://c3ia.co.uk/

    C3IA Solutions provides technical and security services to the public and private sectors specialising in system engineering, information communications technology, information assurance and National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) certified cyber services. C3IA Solutions is partnered with Silvus Technologies, who develop advanced MIMO technologies that are reshaping broadband wireless connectivity for mission critical applications, KTAC Communications and Instant Connect, providing, tactical monitoring solutions and mission-critical communications software that seamlessly links mobile, radio, and enterprise telephony solutions into a single integrated environment providing "anytime, anywhere" communications. C3IA provide UK based resources delivering a consultancy service, together with systems engineering and integration capabilities and expertise.


    DOK-ING

    Sponsors and Exhibitors
    https://dok-ing.com/

    DOK-ING is a global market leader in special purpose robotics & autonomous systems with more than 80% of the market share in 40+ countries.

    By integrating its own innovations and new technologies, DOK-ING develops and manufactures robotic and autonomous systems to protect human lives & property in dull, dirty and dangerous environments, known to responders, primarily in Military Engineering, CBRNe, Counter-Terrorism, Emergency Response & Underground Mining.

    Military Engineering portfolio consists of three demining robotic systems: compact EOD robotic system MV-2, multi mission EOD robotic system MV-4 resistant to all AP mines detonations and UXOs of similar intensity and MV-10 heavy-duty EOD robotic system with high engine power & supreme explosion resistance.

    Robotic system MV-3 Hystrix is intended for support in counter-terrorism, hostage release operations and social unrest crisis missions.

    Emergency Response Robotic System MVF-5 Tusk serves first responders to execute tasks in the harshest, most demanding and life-threatening conditions.

    For operating in extreme CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) conditions, MVC-8 Komodo is a unique next-gen remote-controlled unmanned ground system solution.

    In more than 30 years of being in the business, DOK-ING has been recognised for changing the industrial landscape with its innovative approach and has won many international awards.



    GHOST ROBOTICS

    Sponsors and Exhibitors
    https://www.ghostrobotics.io/

    Founded in 2015, Philadelphia-based Ghost Robotics develops Quadrupedal Unmanned Ground Vehicles, or Q-UGV® for short. Ghost’s Q-UGVs not only manage unstructured terrain well but are built for demanding customers in demanding environments. Their robots have a place in a broad range of government and enterprise applications where mobile robots with four legs have inherent advantages over wheels, tracks and even bipedal systems. To learn more about Ghost Robotics, visit www.ghostrobotics.io



    Milrem Robotics

    Sponsors and Exhibitors
    https://milremrobotics.com/

    Milrem Robotics is the leading European robotics and autonomous systems developer and systems integrator. The company is known for their THeMIS and Multiscope UGVs, the Type-X Robotic Combat Vehicle and MIFIK the autonomy kit. The Type-X RCV is intended to support mechanized units, raising troop survivability and lowering lethality risks by increasing standoff distance from enemy units.

    Milrem Robotics is the leader of the iMUGS consortium that was awarded 30.6 MEUR from the European Commission’s European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) to develop a European standardized unmanned ground system (UGS).

    Milrem Robotics’ products and services have been sold to 16 countries, including 8 NATO members. The company’s offices are in Estonia, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and the US.



    Otokar

    Sponsors and Exhibitors
    https://www.otokar.com.tr/en

    Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi A.S. (Otokar) is one of the major automotive plants in Turkey, combining its own intellectual property rights with advanced engineering capabilities, technology, design & applications within its most modern manufacturing facilities.The company is a member of Turkey’s largest business conglomerate, Koç Group, which generates 7% of GDP and 11% of total exports of Turkey, the only Turkish company to be listed in the Fortune Global 500 list. Otokar has been selected by more than 35 countries in the world for providing innovative, effective & tailored solutions to meet the existing and future requirements of end users with its wide range of combat proven land platforms. More than 33,000 OTOKAR military vehicles are operating under different geographical and extreme climate conditions in the world and their combat capabilities are proven in the real combat situations in high risk areas. Otokar designs and manufactures a wide range of tactical armored wheeled vehicles including 4x4 COBRA, COBRA II, COBRA II- MRAP, AKREP II, URAL, ISV, ARMA 6x6 and ARMA 8x8. Otokar’s TULPAR tracked armored vehicle family is designed as a multi-purpose vehicle platform with its significant ballistic and mine protection and high payload capacity to meet the requirements of modern armed forces for all types of missions in the battlefield.



    Overwatch Aerospace

    Sponsors and Exhibitors
    https://www.overwatch-group.uk/

    Overwatch Aerospace is a British UAV business delivering the next generation of loitering munitions and drone systems, to enable positive mission outcomes in the most complex environments.

    Our team is a blend of the best engineering minds and operational experience enabling us to rapidly deliver cutting edge UAV product solutions to where they are needed most. Our Pholos II platform is a flexible drone capability that is now deployed and proven in delivery of kinetic effects.



    Oxford Technical Solutions Ltd

    Sponsors and Exhibitors
    https://www.oxts.com/

    At OxTS, we have been pushing the performance limits from MEMS-based GNSS/INS for over twenty years. Today, thousands of engineers are collecting and using position, orientation and dynamics data to develop and deploy vehicles and other autonomous platforms around the world. Our focus on robustness and scalability has led to our GNSS/INS systems becoming the go-to solution for automotive testing and an attractive alternative to FOG-based systems in other industries.



    Pearson Engineering

    Sponsors and Exhibitors
    https://www.pearson-eng.com/

    Pearson Engineering has a world-proven ability to deliver against the most complex defence and security challenges.

    We are expert in battlefield mobility - breaching, detection, defeat and clearance of mines and explosives as well as combat bridge launch systems, non-lethal counter mobility products and specialised counter terror systems. Further, we deliver special project support, assembly, and manufacturing services for defence programmes from our facility in the UK.

    We are a long-standing supplier of combat engineering equipment and through life support to Armed Forces throughout the world and we have contributed to significant armoured vehicle programmes including the British Army’s Trojan and Terrier capabilities, as well as to the U.S Army’s Assault Breacher Vehicle. Our products range from heavy-duty mine ploughs for main battle tanks through to nimble, protective Counter-IED rollers for light weight vehicles.

    Our products are in constant development to meet the needs of the modern Warfighter and our dedicated Research & Development team are currently working on several novel technologies to both anticipate and respond to future requirements.

    Our Engineers and Project Managers are highly trained and have experience in delivering high-specification, complex engineering products, often against demanding programme requirements and deadlines. We can call upon an established local, national, and international supply chain comprising companies which have proven themselves in some of the world’s biggest defence programmes.

    To find out more, please contact pearson@pearson-eng.com or follow us on Twitter @Pearson_Eng_Ltd.



    Plasan

    Sponsors and Exhibitors
    http://www.plasan.com

    Plasan is the leader in the design, development and integration of advanced armored protection systems for all types of wheeled and tracked vehicles. Being at the forefront of technology on the future battlefield, Plasan focuses on advanced technologies for land maneuvering operations, including unmanned ground vehicles and robotics solutions.

    In recent years the demands for local production in different countries has been growing. International defense companies are required to address this reality. We invite you to meet with Plasan’s new and creative solutions.



    Rheinmetall Protection Systems

    Sponsors and Exhibitors
    http://www.rheinmetall.com

    Business unit Rheinmetall Protection Systems GmbH (RPS)

    For some 60 years, Rheinmetall AG has specialized in the development and production of components and systems for the protection of persons, vehicles, aircraft, ships and other assets. National and international customers expect one thing above all others: maximum protection and security.

    In 2019, Rheinmetall in Germany acquired the protection-development expert IBD Deisenroth Engineering GmbH in Lohmar, Germany, and its national and international subsidiaries. Together with Rheinmetall Chempro GmbH and Rheinmetall Ballistic Protection GmbH, it is now part of the new Rheinmetall Protection Systems (RPS) business unit, headquartered in Bonn/ Germany. This means that Rheinmetall's protection system capabilities are efficiently pooled under one roof.

    Rheinmetall thus has a unique overall protection portfolio and can offer 360-degree protection: products and services for light-, medium- and heavy-duty protection. This new market profile as a leading systems house for passive, active and softkill security solutions offers development and production from a single source.

    RPS is an independent protection provider with a worldwide customer base and subsidiaries in Germany, Australia, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Turkey, Algeria and UAE. This global presence allows close customer proximity, local added value and tight local cooperation.

    RPS's worldwide customers include national ministries and authorities as well as OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers/platform producers) of land vehicles, aircrafts and ships.

    With its unique Active Protection System ‘StrikeShield’, Rheinmetall has established and maintained strong partnership and footprint in the US for more than ten years now.


    Media Partners


    Defence Global

    Supporters
    http://barclaymedia.uk.com/

    Defence Global provides an essential link between the Defence & Security Manufacturers and Suppliers, Government and Military sectors globally. Defence Global is a quarterly, tri-service publication providing articles and informative analysis from respected journalists and writers worldwide to attract a sophisticated and broad audience. Defence Global is published in February, May, August and November, with a professional and stylish design in both printed copy and digital format. The printed copies are perfect bound, full colour throughout with high quality art and photography. Defence Global is used as a reference tool providing a professional and intelligent read. We work with industry experts and corporate clients to include Defence and Security Manufacturers and Suppliers, as well as Governments, MoDs, Military Authorities and Senior Management Teams.


    Desider Magazine

    Supporters
    https://www.des.mod.uk/desider-magazine/

    Desider is our monthly corporate magazine, aimed at readers across the wider MOD, armed forces and industry. The publication covers stories and features about support to operations and equipment acquisition. It also covers the work of people in DE&S and its partners in industry, and other corporate news and information.


    Robotics Tomorrow

    Supporters
    http://www.RoboticsTomorrow.com

    RoboticsTomorrow.com is an Online Trade Magazine featuring Products, Companies, News, Articles and Events for the Industrial Automation, Robotics and Unmanned Vehicle industries. With an emphasis on the state of the art and on the horizon technologies that have strong prospects of commercialization, our philosophy is to create an outlet where the industry can share information and report on itself.


    C-UAS Hub

    Supporters
    http://cuashub.com

    This information hub for Counter-UAS and airspace awareness content includes news, original articles, vendors, products, services, events, multimedia content, and a comprehensive reference library. This site is an excellent resource for professionals from the defense, public safety, government, academia, critical infrastructure, corporate security, and private security sectors.


    Uncrewed Systems Technology Magazine

    Supporters
    http://www.ust-media.com

    Uncrewed Systems Technology magazine focuses entirely on the innovative engineering that's successfully pushing boundaries on land, at sea, in flight and even through the universe. The magazine is unique - the first ever publication to focus entirely on providing independent coverage of the engineering at the heart of uncrewed vehicles. It applies the same rigorous scientific approach to this brave new world as critically acclaimed Race Engine Technology has brought to the subject of racing powertrain technology. Published 6-times a year, we probe today's cutting-edge projects to provide in-depth research insights - rigorous investigation is backed by professional peer review and critical analysis.


    Defence Online

    Supporters
    https://www.defenceonline.co.uk/

    Defence Online is one of the fastest-growing communities of key decision makers representing defence sector buyers and influencers within the Ministry of Defence, Prime Contractors and Industry. Providing up-to-date and informative news, insight and intelligence, Defence Online allows organisations to engage directly with a range of sector-based solutions, designed specifically to enhance their knowledge and understanding of this ever-evolving marketplace. No matter the size of your organisation, Defence Online has a range of advertising and marketing solutions to suit your business development requirements, connecting you with a marketplace worth over £19 billion annually in the UK alone.


    Counter-IED Report

    Supporters
    http://www.counteriedreport.com

    Counter-IED Report is a leading international subscription-based publication, which covers the latest developments in the fight against the IED threat. We aim to identify technological advances as well as strategies and tactics for countering threat networks, reduce IED manufacture and placement, assist post-conflict humanitarian demining and capacity building efforts worldwide. For more information please visit website: www.counteriedreport.com


    Unmanned Network

    Supporters
    http://unmanned-network.com

    The Unmanned Network connects unmanned stakeholders throughout the extensive unmanned ecosystem - from OEMs, via sub-system manufacturers, service providers, to end-users, and all other relevant parties. Requirements, posted directly by network members, are immediately converted to direct, viable leads to other members of the network with instant access via the unique opportunity module. Whether as a company, or as an individual, and seeking unmanned systems, components, services, consulting, open positions (HR), manufacturing, logistics, training, events and more the network is the perfect platform.


    Unmanned Systems Technology

    Supporters
    https://www.unmannedsystemstechnology.com/

    UST is the largest ecosystem for unmanned systems, technology and innovation. We provide global exposure for +200 industry-leading technical and engineering organisations, allowing them to gain maximum visibility of their innovations, products and capabilities in front of an audience of +1.2million visitors each year. We do this via a winning combination of intelligent digital marketing and advertising techniques, high exposure in search engines for relevant technology. Get in touch to find out how we can support you.


    Armada International

    Supporters
    http://armadainternational.com

    ARMADA INTERNATIONAL is leading defence magazine which reports on and analyses defence systems, equipment and technology. Together with its Compendium supplements, ARMADA provides defence planners in the militaries, in government, in procurement and in the defence industry itself with the information they need to plan their strategies.


    Soldier Modernisation

    Supporters
    http://www.soldiermod.com

    Soldier Modernisation (SoldierMod.Com) is an authoritative policy and technology publication for the international defense community, serving the integrated equipment needs of the dismounted soldier and marine in operations today and the fielding of Soldier Modernisation Programmes over the next few years. SoldierMod.Com is designed to provide insights into how decision makers plan to transform operations in the areas of survivability, sustainability, C4I, lethality and mobility; managing the balance between the promise of 'leap-ahead technology balance and mature cost effective solutions. SoldierMod is distributed in many formats which will include an 50 page journal 10,000 copies BPA Audited, twice annually , in January and June Our Website www.soldiermod.com , Has a 24 hour news service , anytime ( currently at over 20,000 individual visits per month ) . We also have an online technical forum where anyone in the industry can ask us strategic or technological questions , our partners and experts will respond directly back.


    MVS

    Supporters
    https://militaryvehiclesystems.com/about-us

    We have a strong history in the publishing arena having produced magazines in the Telecomms, Defence and Emergency Services sectors. Our previous projects were distributed at select events and maintained a digital presence via websites and various social media platforms


    Asian Military Review

    Supporters
    http://www.asianmilitaryreview.com/

    Asian Military Review is ABC audited publication, read & discussed by key decision makers & advisors to Asia Pacific militaries. Published since 1993 it’s widely recognised as authoritative provider of unbiased & objective information to Asian military. Editorial content comprises capability analysis, special reports & relevant news coverage from the region. AMR provides information, opinion & facts allowing military professionals to track & understand defence developments worldwide, concerning equipment, training, organisation & doctrine issues. The magazine is a proven source keeping military professionals up to date on national & international defence & security issues.

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    WHAT IS CPD?

    CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development’. It is essentially a philosophy, which maintains that in order to be effective, learning should be organised and structured. The most common definition is:

    ‘A commitment to structured skills and knowledge enhancement for Personal or Professional competence’

    CPD is a common requirement of individual membership with professional bodies and Institutes. Increasingly, employers also expect their staff to undertake regular CPD activities.

    Undertaken over a period of time, CPD ensures that educational qualifications do not become obsolete, and allows for best practice and professional standards to be upheld.

    CPD can be undertaken through a variety of learning activities including instructor led training courses, seminars and conferences, e:learning modules or structured reading.

    CPD AND PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTES

    There are approximately 470 institutes in the UK across all industry sectors, with a collective membership of circa 4 million professionals, and they all expect their members to undertake CPD.

    For some institutes undertaking CPD is mandatory e.g. accountancy and law, and linked to a licence to practice, for others it’s obligatory. By ensuring that their members undertake CPD, the professional bodies seek to ensure that professional standards, legislative awareness and ethical practices are maintained.

    CPD Schemes often run over the period of a year and the institutes generally provide online tools for their members to record and reflect on their CPD activities.

    TYPICAL CPD SCHEMES AND RECORDING OF CPD (CPD points and hours)

    Professional bodies and Institutes CPD schemes are either structured as ‘Input’ or ‘Output’ based.

    ‘Input’ based schemes list a precise number of CPD hours that individuals must achieve within a given time period. These schemes can also use different ‘currencies’ such as points, merits, units or credits, where an individual must accumulate the number required. These currencies are usually based on time i.e. 1 CPD point = 1 hour of learning.

    ‘Output’ based schemes are learner centred. They require individuals to set learning goals that align to professional competencies, or personal development objectives. These schemes also list different ways to achieve the learning goals e.g. training courses, seminars or e:learning, which enables an individual to complete their CPD through their preferred mode of learning.

    The majority of Input and Output based schemes actively encourage individuals to seek appropriate CPD activities independently.

    As a formal provider of CPD certified activities, SAE Media Group can provide an indication of the learning benefit gained and the typical completion. However, it is ultimately the responsibility of the delegate to evaluate their learning, and record it correctly in line with their professional body’s or employers requirements.

    GLOBAL CPD

    Increasingly, international and emerging markets are ‘professionalising’ their workforces and looking to the UK to benchmark educational standards. The undertaking of CPD is now increasingly expected of any individual employed within today’s global marketplace.

    CPD Certificates

    We can provide a certificate for all our accredited events. To request a CPD certificate for a conference , workshop, master classes you have attended please email events@saemediagroup.com

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    UK Office
    Opening Hours: 9.00 - 17.30 (local time)
    SAE Media Group , Ground Floor, India House, 45 Curlew Street, London, SE1 2ND, United Kingdom
    Tel: +44 (0) 20 7827 6000 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7827 6001
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