0830 – 0900 Registration, tea and coffee

0900 – 0910 Welcoming Remarks

Robin MacKenzie, Managing Director, The D Group

0910 – 0930 Keynote Address on ‘Scotland and National Security’

Stewart McDonald, Director, Regent Park Strategies, former SNP defence spokesperson

0930 – 1030 Panel 1 – The political and geopolitical context

• How does Scottish public opinion view national security and resilience?

• What are Scotland’s main security vulnerabilities?

• How does Scotland contribute to the defence of the UK?

• What is Scotland’s role in the security of the High North and NATO defence planning?

• How can Scotland best contribute to European security?

1. Jack Pannell, Senior Researcher, BFPG

2. Professor Kristen Harkness, School of International Relations, University of St Andrews

Chair – Robin MacKenzie, Managing Director, The D Group

1030 – 1100 Coffee Break

1100 – 1200 Panel 2 – Governance and Cooperation in Crisis

• What are the main lessons from the response to Covid in how the UK responds to crises across the national and devolved governments?

• How is the Scottish government structured to deal with crises and how best can these interact with Whitehall structures?

• How should Scottish requirements be incorporated into the UK Defence Readiness Bill? How best can the Scottish Parliament be represented?

• What accountability mechanisms does the Scottish Parliament have? Is the accountability from the UK Parliament adequate?

• How does the Scottish government define and plan for ‘resilience’? Should it officially become a devolved competency?

1. Lisa McGuinness. Director, Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGORR)

2. Professor Andrew Neal, Personal Chair of International Security, University of Edinburgh

3. To be confirmed

Chair - Ed Arnold, Senior Advisor Defence, The D Group

1200 – 1300 Networking Lunch

1300 – 1400 Panel 3 - Defence Industry and skills

• What is the Ministry of Defence’s spend profile in Scotland? Why is it declining?

• How best can Scotland’s communities benefit from rising defence spending?

• How best can the Scottish Defence Growth Deal be delivered?

• How resilient is UK shipbuilding in Scotland? Where are the main dependencies?

• How can Scotland ensure it retains the skills, talent and workforce to make the most of rising defence expenditure in the UK and across Europe?

1. Natasha Allen, Director of Capability and Prosperity, Babcock International

2. Representative from Leonardo (name TBC)

3. George Allison, Editor UK Defence Journal (TBC)

Chair – Ruari Cahill, Director, The D Group

1400 – 1430 Coffee

1430 – 1530 Panel 4 – Scotland’s contribution to the Space sector

• What are the implications of the new UK Space Strategy for Scotland?

• How has Scotland become such a significant player in the global space sector, especially in ‘new space’ (small satellites and commercial launch, rather than traditional big-government space programs)?

• Will the UK Government’s strategic approach to the sector help maintain Scotlands’ ‘first mover advantage’ for orbital launch?

• Five of the UK's seven developing spaceports are located in Scotland. How can this advantage best be exploited?

1. Daniel Smith, Founder Astro Agency and Trade and Investment Envoy for Space, The Scottish Government

2. Rachel Dowling, Head of Government Affairs, Astroscale UK

3. Scott Hammond, CEO Saxavord Spaceport (TBC)

Chair - Michelle Howard, Space Policy Advisor, The D Group

1530 – Closing Remarks

Ed Arnold, Senior Advisor Defence, The D Group

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