NATO, Iran, China... a lot on our mind
Issue 29: NATO Summit and the Rapid Adoption Action Plan, China leads the world in defence tech, and NATO and the UK
Good afternoon from the team at Resilience Media
On Monday I was at an event in The Hague at a startup campus in an incredibly industrial part of the city. The event brought together 800 startups and investors, as well as Dutch government and military leaders. The mood felt determined but apprehensive - we were a stone’s throw from the NATO Summit location, and a day after the major bombing campaign in Iran.
I was there to moderate a panel which was part of the Rapid Adoption content track, and had a great conversation about industry partnerships with NIF, NATO DIANA, the EIB Group, and Tekever. While the panel was conducted under Chatham House Rule, I can say we spoke a lot about the Rapid Adoption Action Plan which is being ratified by the Allies this week. A formalised process for getting startup technology into the hands of the end user couldn’t be more timely, as our friends in Ukraine can attest.
Looking at the wider threat landscape, we’re very happy to bring you two guest pieces this week, one looking at China as the defence tech leader and the other stressing the importance of Geopolitical implications for NATO and the UK. There has also been a lot of startup news:
Jan-Hendrik Boelens on Alpine Eagle's Progress, European Defence Investment, and What’s Next
Launch of Halceon, a new cyber angel investor group, and FORGE, a cyber incubator
From Stateless Teen to Tech Founder: Maria Amelie’s Mission Against Disinformation
A heads up: we’re about to begin the countdown to the end of Early Bird ticket prices, so grab your pass to Resilience Conference 2025 now.
Until next week,
-Leslie, co-founder, Resilience Media
Last month I was in the room for Pete Hegseth’s keynote speech at SOF Week. He’s a gifted public speaker and, although I’m not a MAGA guy, I found myself enjoying his performance.
More interesting than his delivery was the content. He made no mention of Ukraine but referred multiple times to the threat posed by ‘communist China’. That will be no surprise to Americans. But Europeans worry less about China. Read Sam Burrell’s full piece here.
This article considers the Geostrategic implications for NATO and the UK; the Operational implications of Innovation; and the method by which we must reform the Public-Private sector, and the Defence-Science Industry relationships, if we are to secure our next 75 years of resilience, stability, security and prosperity, as well as NATO has in its 76th Anniversary year.
Whilst the UK is a leader in NATO, we have ground to cover concerning our Societal Preparedness for war, Resilience, the Remilitarisation of the UK’s, Canada’s and Europe’s industrial bases, and enhanced engagement with UK Science, Academia, and Industry. Read this guest post by Professor Carl Hunter OBE here.
MassChallenge is now accepting applications for its U.S. Early Stage Security & Resiliency Program, running from September to November 2025 in Boston. The program is designed for startups working on dual-use innovations in areas such as:
Secure communications and infrastructure
Energy and power systems
Human health and performance
Resilient supply chains and logistics
Emergency response and humanitarian tech
Maritime and naval technologies
Startups will receive zero-equity support, mentorship, and curated access to the Mass Challenge defence network. Applications are open now through July 15, apply now!
Investing
Not Every Missile Needs a Cap Table: The $6 Billion Misallocation
National Security
OpenAI Wins $200M Contract With US Military
Startups
Pelico scores $40M to transform fragmented global supply chains