First Sea Lord’s Conference of the Royal Navy: Deterrence, Diplomacy, and Innovation in a Competitive Era

On May 16 and 17, the Council on Geostrategy, King’s College London, and the Royal Navy held the Annual Naval Power Conference in London to explore the impact of recent international events on maritime environments, with the Russia-Ukraine war playing a prominent role.

This naval power conference was titled “Steel and the State’s Capacity to Mobilize Naval Power in a Competitive Era,” and brought together the British naval high command along with commanders from the navies of the United States and European countries, ministers, members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, CEOs of defense companies, expert academics, and representatives from the British media.

The objective of this meeting was to analyze the United Kingdom’s status as a maritime power. The need for cutting-edge technology and effective leadership among its high command was examined to ensure a geoeconomic and geopolitical competitive advantage, similar to that of its allies, enabling them to influence the international order.

The conferences were held at Lancaster House (a 19th-century building) located opposite Buckingham Palace, which, with its significant political and royal history, provided a magnificent setting for this important meeting.

The opening speeches were delivered by the British Minister of Defence for Logistics, James Cartlidge, and the Minister for the Indo-Pacific (under the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office), Anne-Marie Trevelyan. Both outlined the British government’s political stance regarding the close relationship that must exist between Defence and Foreign Affairs in light of current global events, particularly concerning the war in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific region. Following this, AthenaLab, which was present at the conference, provides an analytical summary of the discussions.