We are delighted to invite you to an evening reception hosted by The D Group in honour of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and their guests, a visiting group from Hampton Roads in Virginia.

The evening will include speeches from Lord Forbes of Newcastle CBE and Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire, followed by opportunities to find out more about

• The South Yorkshire Industrial Base,
• Defence and Security Sector skills needs, and
• Defence and Security infrastructure requirements.

A delegation from Hampton Roads, Virginia, will also be present.

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The South Yorkshire Defence Growth Deal was announced as part of the Defence Industrial Strategy in 2025. The Defence Growth Deal programme will build on South Yorkshire being a key region for the research, development and engineering of high-grade components and materials critical to the next generation of maritime, land and air capabilities.

The Defence Secretary said: "Defence Growth Deals are a game-changer for South Yorkshire. By investing in local talent and infrastructure, we’re not only strengthening our defence capabilities, but also driving economic growth through the Plan for Change and creating opportunities for the region.  

"South Yorkshire plays a fundamental role in securing the UK’s defence and security and we know the region holds incredible talent in industry, academia and research institutions. With this landmark initiative we will light a fire under South Yorkshire’s innovation growth potential to help keep us all safe for decades to come."

Our Growth Deal aims further establish the region as a secure, sovereign advanced manufacturing centre. This strategic partnership between MOD, regional authorities, academia, and industry includes mutually reinforcing components that leverage South Yorkshire's existing strengths in advanced manufacturing while addressing critical national security challenges.

Background about Hampton Roads

A delegation of elected officials, academic leaders, and industry executives from Hampton Roads, VA is visiting the United Kingdom to engage counterparts in a focused learning exchange at a moment of accelerated defence spending, rapid technology change, and growing complexity across the U.S.–UK–NATO industrial alliance. The visit will examine how metropolitan regions are organizing for reindustrialization and defence growth—comparing public-led and public-private leadership models; top-down defence growth deals and bottom-up investment playbooks; and approaches to company expansion, innovation districts, and industrial centres of excellence. Delegates will explore shared challenges around workforce shortages, the increasing role of private capital in defence technology, and the emergence of interconnected “innovation geographies,” drawing lessons from institutions such as advanced manufacturing centres and regional governance structures. The exchange is intended to inform next steps, including potential MOUs and a multi-city diagnostic to deepen transatlantic collaboration and align regional strategies for long-term industrial resilience and growth.

Hampton Roads is one of the nation’s most critical military industrial base hubs, anchored by Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval base, NATO’s North American headquarters, and a network of 19 military installations spanning all service branches. The region delivers roughly 25% of U.S. shipbuilding capacity, is home to Norfolk Naval Shipyard, one of only four public naval shipyards, and includes Newport News Shipbuilding, the nation’s sole builder of nuclear aircraft carriers and a primary producer of nuclear submarines. Together, this unmatched concentration of operational forces, shipbuilding and repair, defence manufacturing, logistics, energy infrastructure, and skilled workforce makes Hampton Roads a full-stack platform for fleet readiness, modernization, and surge capacity that is indispensable to U.S. and allied defence.

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