The strength of a nation's defence has always depended on more than just its hardware. Today, the UK's security and sovereignty rely on a skilled, agile, and motivated workforce. Recent strategic frameworks, including the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) and the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS), have placed a renewed and critical emphasis on people. These documents signal a major shift: talent is now recognised as the central pillar of our national defence capability.
The new battlefield for talent
Today’s defence environment is transforming faster than ever before. The adoption of digital, cyber and AI capabilities is essential to ensure the continued sovereign protection of the UK and its allies across air, sea, land and space domains. This shift demands a different kind of professional - one who is digitally fluent, highly adaptable, and equipped to tackle complex challenges in an increasingly dynamic landscape.
The Defence Industrial Strategy makes it clear that a resilient industrial base is impossible without a resilient workforce. It calls for a "whole-force" approach, integrating military personnel, civil servants, and industry partners into a single, cohesive ecosystem. This requires the sector to compete for talent not just with traditional defence firms, but with global tech giants, innovative startups, and every other industry undergoing digital transformation.
Rethinking recruitment: finding the unseen talent
Traditional recruitment methods are no longer sufficient to attract the diverse skills the defence sector needs. To succeed the defence sector must fundamentally change how it perceives, recruits, and develops its people.
Broadening the search
Recruitment must extend beyond the usual engineering and defence-related university courses. The sector needs data scientists, software developers, behavioural psychologists, and project managers. This involves:
Engaging with different disciplines: Partnering with university departments in arts, humanities, and social sciences can attract individuals with critical thinking and analytical skills. By coaching these critical thinkers from diverse disciplines into new fields, organisations can benefit from their unique perspectives and ability to analyse complex information.
Targeting tech hubs: The defence sector needs to be present where digital talent congregates. This means engaging with coding bootcamps, tech startup incubators, and online developer communities.
Apprenticeships and early careers: Investing in high-quality apprenticeship programmes is crucial. Companies like BAE Systems have a long-standing and successful apprenticeship scheme that provides a direct pipeline of skilled individuals. These programmes offer a practical, debt-free route into a high-tech career, making them highly attractive to a broad range of young people. With five new Defence Technical Excellence Colleges launching in 2026, there is significant opportunity to shape future talent. Employers should consider how they develop skills in new recruits and leverage these opportunities to deliver capability directly back into the Ministry of Defence.
Communicating a compelling mission
The defence sector offers something many industries cannot: a clear sense of purpose. Work here directly contributes to national security and global stability, a mission that resonates strongly with younger generations. A recent survey by Serco found that 53% of Gen Z and Millennials are more inclined to consider a defence-related career because of today’s geopolitical climate. Yet while over half express interest in spending time in the sector, only 19% would actively choose it, revealing a gap between curiosity and commitment.
This gap is shaped by perceptions of rigidity, limited career mobility, and long-term projects at primes seeming less dynamic than sub-primes who are innovating in cyber and AI. Marketing should tackle these misconceptions by showcasing flexibility, skills development, and real-world impact such as protecting critical infrastructure, countering cyber threats, and supporting humanitarian aid. With 80% of candidates valuing soft skills like teamwork and resilience, but only 52% feeling this is well communicated, and strong demand for graduates in engineering, computer science, and AI, there is a clear opportunity to reframe the narrative.
Investing in people: the key to retention
Attracting talent is only half the battle; retaining it is equally important. In a competitive market, employees will stay with organisations that invest in their growth and well-being. The Defence Industrial Strategy highlights upskilling and reskilling as core components of building workforce resilience.
A culture of continuous learning
The rapid pace of technological change means that skills can quickly become obsolete. To counter this, defence organisations must foster a culture of lifelong learning.
Upskilling initiatives: Companies must provide clear pathways for employees to acquire new skills. This could involve funding for certifications in areas like cloud computing, AI, or data analytics.
Internal mobility: Creating opportunities for employees to move between different roles and projects within the organisation keeps the work engaging and helps them develop a broader skill set. This agility is beneficial for both the employee and the employer, creating a more flexible and knowledgeable workforce.
Reverse mentoring: Pairing senior leaders with junior, digitally native employees can be a powerful tool. It helps leaders stay current with new technologies and ways of working while giving junior staff valuable exposure to strategic thinking.
Fostering a modern, inclusive culture
To attract and retain a diverse workforce, the defence sector must challenge its traditional, hierarchical image. It needs to build an inclusive and innovative culture where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute their best work.
Embracing diversity and inclusion
A diverse team is an innovative team. Different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives lead to better problem-solving and more creative solutions. The defence sector has made strides in this area, but more work is needed. This includes:
Active outreach: Proactively recruiting from underrepresented groups.
Inclusive leadership: Training managers to lead diverse teams effectively and tackle unconscious bias.
Employee resource groups: Supporting networks for women - including networks like Reed’s Women in Technology Community and Women in Defence - ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities helps create a sense of belonging.
Encouraging innovation
A culture of innovation is one where employees are not afraid to experiment, challenge the status quo, and even fail. The defence sector has often been perceived as risk averse, but this is changing. To accelerate this shift, organisations can:
Create ‘skunkworks’ teams: Small, autonomous teams can be tasked with solving complex problems quickly, free from traditional bureaucracy. This approach, pioneered by Lockheed Martin, has been responsible for some of the most significant advances in aerospace.
Reward smart risks: Acknowledge and reward employees who take calculated risks, regardless of the outcome. This shows that the organisation values learning and experimentation.
Promote flexible working: The pandemic demonstrated that flexible and remote working is viable for many roles. Offering this flexibility is now a key factor in attracting the best people, showing that an organisation trusts its people and is focused on outcomes, not just hours spent at a desk.
Enable cross-sector career mobility: Implement and champion initiatives like the Defence Skills Passport to facilitate recognition and transfer of skills across military, civil service, and defence industry roles. Drawing on expertise from a recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) provider can help shape and support these activities.
The path forward
The Strategic Defence Review and Defence Industrial Strategy provide a clear mandate: the future of UK defence depends on its people. To build the workforce of tomorrow, the sector must be bold and imaginative. This means looking for talent in new places, communicating a compelling mission, and investing heavily in the growth and development of every employee. By fostering an inclusive, innovative, and flexible culture, the UK defence sector can not only attract the skills it needs, but also become an employer of choice for the next generation. The mission is critical, and building the right team is the only way to succeed.
