How defence organisations can accelerate innovation within established frameworks

Sagentia Defence’s Chief Technical Officer, Dominic Černis, considers how to satisfy the new era of defence need for speed while conforming with structured frameworks for delivery.

As the UK’s Defence Reform programme highlights, “whoever gets new technology into the hands of their Armed Forces the quickest will have the advantage”.  The sector needs faster, smarter innovation to address evolving operational needs and harness emerging technologies. The rapid pace of technological change heightens the urgency of this matter. Yet lengthy defence procurement processes risk saddling new capabilities with inbuilt obsolescence in areas like AI and telecommunication which play a critical role in the field.

Some aspects of the innovation journey will be improved by the new Ministry of Defence (MOD) UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) hub for fast-tracking novel technology delivery. However, holistic and whole life analysis is still required. Defence Lines of Development (DLOD) insights remain central to the integration of complete, working capabilities, and the Concept, Assessment, Demonstration, Manufacture, In-Service, Disposal (CADMID) framework still dominates defence procurement.

The reality is that established structures for defence procurement can be an obstacle to innovation. But when concepts draw on defence sector knowledge and deep understanding of science and technology, it’s possible to accelerate progress within these essential guardrails. Read on to find out more.

Move faster within CADMID using spiral development

CADMID’s rigid, sequential nature can make it hard to embrace the agile processes needed to accelerate innovation. But spiral development is emerging as an acceptable and effective way to address this challenge. MOD’s Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Futures Lab recently said it is looking to embrace the method ‘wherever possible’ to stay ahead of the curve.

Spiral development enhances agility by deconstructing the delivery of new capabilities into smaller, iterative steps. Each step delivers a usable increment of the capability which can be evaluated, refined, and expanded over time. The process encourages a ‘fail fast’ mindset where unfeasible, unviable concepts are identified and abandoned before significant time and money are invested. It also bridges the gap between innovation and procurement, making it easier for promising early-stage technologies to progress within a system that traditionally favours mature, low-risk solutions.

CADMID’s linear nature means each phase must be completed and approved before the next begins. But it is hard for early-stage technologies to meet the demands of phases such as ‘demonstration’ and ‘manufacture’ which typically expect high technology readiness levels (TRLs). So, CADMID can inadvertently contribute to the TRL ‘valley of death’ where promising concepts struggle to transition from lab-based validation to prototype demonstration in operationally relevant environments.

Spiral development helps overcome this challenge through incremental delivery, testing, and learning within the CADMID structure. For instance, technologies might be trialled in simulated environments early on, demonstrating feasibility before they reach full maturity. Rather than aiming to develop a perfect solution that satisfies all demands from the outset, early versions are evaluated and refined in iterative steps. This rapid pull through of ideas from pre-concept and concept to prototype is essential to drive the pace needed in Defence procurement.

Harness technology foresight

Feeding the ‘concept’ and ‘assessment’ phases of CADMID with emerging technologies, and combining this with spiral development, can help satisfy future innovation demands. A project we led for the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) looked at this from a Beyond Generation After Next (bGAN) perspective. Our aim was to uncover disruptive, untapped ideas which might hold promise for future defence applications.

In the project’s first phase we identified more than 600 science and technology indicators. These early signs of technological change or advancement range from new discoveries to small-scale innovations. Indicators were harvested from a wide range of international sources including patents, popular science articles, and PhD preprints. They were scored individually according to factors such as timeliness, relevance to defence, degree of novelty, and exploitability. Then the most promising ideas were worked into novel concepts aligned with defence use cases.

The next phase involved deep interrogation by our science and technology consultants to determine concepts’ feasibility, potential obstacles, and likely timeframes for maturation. We also looked at scalability and DLOD considerations. This enabled defence decision makers to make informed choices about which technologies to prioritise for investment. Ultimately, the process distilled several viable, groundbreaking concepts.

Use technology roadmaps to navigate defence futures

Spiral development makes it possible to adopt agile practices within the CADMID framework, but there are additional matters of importance. These include considering the integration of new equipment holistically across the DLODs to avoid analysis gaps (which may create bottlenecks later), and strategic decision-making about investment in specific technologies.

This is where technology roadmaps come to the fore. Well known as a tool for planning technology development, they can also map parallel development across the DLODs. So, a roadmap might pinpoint when training needs should be considered or when supporting infrastructure will have to be in place. It can also help prioritise technology development and investment.

We recently conducted a roadmapping exercise centred on telemedicine and robotic assisted surgery (RAS). The objective was to determine whether remote RAS could be used in frontline scenarios to avoid putting highly trained non-combatant medical staff in harm’s way.

Firstly, we researched technologies that would need to come together to make remote RAS feasible for defence applications. This included everything from 6G wireless communications to haptic feedback gloves and 3D vision goggles. We then performed horizon scanning to assess emerging state-of-the-art technology in this arena, including who is developing it, maturity levels, and likely trajectories. These insights were consolidated in a technology roadmap showing how the elements align, their expected timelines, and when a complete remote RAS concept could realistically be deployed.

Combining horizon scanning and roadmapping for dual use civilian and defence concepts facilitates the strategic injection of funding. For instance, it may be beneficial to invest in defence-specific versions of existing technologies, only focussing on factors like ruggedisation for military environments, rather than the complete system. Or it might be necessary to accelerate development of an emerging technology if it won’t be available in a suitable timescale for a specific defence need. On the other hand, the process can reveal where private R&D investment is likely to deliver technologies that already meet defence sector needs, meaning a ‘wait and see’ policy will be sufficient.

It all comes down to spending money wisely and identifying where it will be more cost-effective to leverage civilian technology. While the Strategic Defence Review looks to increase the percentage of GDP spent on defence, budgets are not unlimited. Defence funding should be purposefully invested in specific elements which would not otherwise be brought to market.

How Sagentia Defence can help

Rapid technological change and intricate procurement frameworks create immense challenges for defence innovation. Spiral development can offer a way forward, as long as holistic, whole life capability planning is maintained.

Covering all the necessary bases requires strategic focus, defence sector knowledge, and deep technological expertise. This is where Sagentia Defence adds value. Defence specialists work in close collaboration with science, technology, and engineering consultants who bring decades of cross-sector experience to your problems. We have a unique capability within Sagentia Defence to drive an initial idea through to realisation, using our end-to-end pre-concept, concept and prototype process.

Contact us to discuss the support and accelerate your journey from early concept to operational readiness in line with the new UK Armed Forces vision.

Some CADMID and DLOD considerations are becoming more complex due to greater emphasis on environmental sustainability. As this trend continues, there will be increased opportunities to leverage civilian innovation that aligns with defence sector needs. Sustainable aviation fuel development is a case in point; check out our recent whitepaper on hydrogen as promising alternative to kerosene.