The Resilience Brief

This episode of the TRB discusses the problem of aligning military knowledge and understanding with the expertise of industry. Experts from academia and industry share their view on the role of personnel in facilitating research and development as they conduct the search for technological solutions to climate challenges.
So far, The Resilience Brief series has explored the ways in which climate change and sustainability affects resilience within defence across the world. Technological solutions are often proposed as the answer to these challenges with many of our speakers having provided numerous examples of progress and evolution. We know why organisations are developing products, but how do they do it?
In this episode, hosts Dr Sarah Ashbridge and Lieutenant Colonel Ali Beard are joined by Dr Erin Sikorsky (Council on Strategic Risk) and Victoria Doherty (QinetiQ) to share their opinions on the key role of personnel in technology focused research and development (or R&D).
What is the role of Defence in driving private sector demand? How can mid-level leaders encourage constructive risk-taking? What is the expertise that personnel offer, and fundamentally, what questions should both Defence and Industry be asking each other (and be prepared to be asked)? Tune in to our penultimate episode to find out.
The views of all speakers represent their own opinions based on their individual experiences. All views belong to the individual speakers and do not reflect the official position of their employers or the IMCCS
This podcast has been created thanks to the sponsorship and partnership of Frazer-Nash and the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE). This product has also been enabled by the production services of Two Jacks Communications and project management services of S A Consultancy (Yorkshire).
Resources recommended by Episode 9 guest speakers:
-            National Intelligence Council (2021). Global Trends 2040: A More Contested World. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (United States).
-            QinetiQ reports available at qinetiq.com/insights . Example: QinetiQ (2024). Sustainability on the Edge.

In this episode, guest speakers examine how approaches to climate change vary geographically, specifically looking at how our allies and adversaries are tackling the global north and global south.
A common theme across the TRB series so far has been the military's tendency to focus internally on their individual need to adapt to extreme environments rather than mitigation of their detrimental impact to climate change. However, given nations will routinely operate as part of a coalition, it is important to understand how climate change varies geographically – from the 'extreme cold' of the global north to the 'extreme heat' of southern Europe and into Africa. Similarly, we have heard little about how our adversaries are exploiting climate change projects to enhance their own resilience to reshape the strategic picture.
In this episode, hosts Dr Sarah Ashbridge and Lieutenant Colonel Ali Beard are joined by Professor Katarzyna Zysk (INSTITUTE) and Rear Admiral (Ret.) Ben Bekkering (Royal Netherlands Navy) to hear more about how climate change is affecting the strategic picture in the global north and global south. How are potential adversaries such as Russia and China engaging with Climate Change? Are NATO's priorities aligned with those we seek to protect? What is the 'Arc of Instability' and how might it frame the future of NATO activity? Tune in to find out.
The views of all speakers represent their own opinions based on their individual experiences. All views belong to the individual speakers and do not reflect the official position of their employers or the IMCCS
This podcast has been created thanks to the sponsorship and partnership of Frazer-Nash and the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE). This product has also been enabled by the production services of Two Jacks Communications and project management services of S A Consultancy (Yorkshire).
Resources recommended by Episode 10 guest speakers:
-            Katarzyna Zysk (2025). Recalibrating Relations with Russia, Hague Summit Series No. 3. The International Centre for Defence and Security. 
-            Katarzyna Zysk (2025). Russia's Nuclear Doctrine Amendments: Scare Tactics or Real Shift? United States Institute of Peace.
-            Katarzyna Zysk (2023). 'Struggling, Not Crumbling: Russian Defence AI in a Time of War.' RUSI Commentary.   
-            Katarzyna Zysk and Rebecca Pincus (2023). 'Getting Sporty in Russia's Arctic?' War on the Rocks.
-            Katarzyna Zysk, Michael Raska, Richard Bitzinger and Ian Bowers (eds.) (2021). Defence Innovation and the 4th Industrial Revolution in Russia [special issue]. Journal of Strategic Studies vol. 44 (4): 451-636.
-            Foundations of the Russian Federation State Policy in the Arctic for the Period up to 2035 (Основы государственной политики Российской Федерации в Арктике на период до 2035 года), Presidential Decree No. 164, signed March 5, 2020, Amended February 21, 2023 (Presidential Decree No. 112)
-            Example war game report: Christopher Gray, Leif Bergey and Walter A. Berbrick (2011). Fleet Arctic Operations Game. U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons [game report].
-            Example war game report: David A. Schlapak and Michael W. Johnson (2016). Reinforcing Deterrence on NATO's Eastern Flank: Wargaming the Defense of the Baltics. RAND Corporation Report.

Across society, strategies are constructed, cohered and enacted by a range of senior individuals. To date, The Resilience Brief has reflected the influence of these prominent, resilience champions, hosting a range of senior leaders. But innovation thrives within the masses - those who face the impacts of climate related challenges first-hand on a daily basis. So, what are the benefits of 'top-down, bottom-up leadership' and what does it look like in practice? 
As we enter the final third of The Resilience Brief podcast, Dr Sarah Ashbridge and Lieutenant Colonel Ali Beard invite two soldiers known for their work on energy focused projects within Defence to discover how they have been empowered and their subsequent success in increasing resilience.  

Join us as we welcome Captain Besmire Shurdha (Canadian Army) and Sergeant Bryan Munce (British Army) for another engaging discussion as we talk experimentation, deployed energy solutions, logistic chains, drones, and survivability.   

The views of all speakers represent their own opinions based on their individual experiences. All views belong to the individual speakers and do not reflect the official position of their employers or the IMCCS 

This podcast has been created thanks to the sponsorship and partnership of Frazer-Nash and the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE). This product has also been enabled by the production services of Two Jacks Communications and project management services of S A Consultancy (Yorkshire). 
Resources recommended by Episode 9 guest speakers:  

Sandy Munro. See the YouTube Channel Munro Live.  


National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (2021). Powering the U.S. Army of the Future. Washington: The National Academies Press. 


Canadian Global Affairs Institute. Defence Deconstructed [podcast].

Episodes 5-7 of TRB considered how Defence is tackling climate resilience on operations within individual domains – land, sea and air. But operations are rarely conducted in isolation. How does the conversation differ when synchronising planning and execution across multiple domains? TRB invites two MDO experts to find out more. 
Multi Domain Operations, or MDO, describes the military concept of coordinated planning of military activities, across all operating domains, in pursuit of strategic objectives. It is terminology that attempts to shift discussion from joint operations, to encourage a wider integrated approach, across both civil and military organisations. 
So how does the conversation around climate and resilience shift when we discuss operations in this context? 
Major General (Ret.) Simon Bernard (Canadian Armed Forces) and Dr Jack Watling (RUSI) join hosts Dr Sarah Ashbridge and Lieutenant Colonel Ali Beard to share their views. Tune in to find out more about systemic threats, building back connectivity after disruption, wartime access to expertise, and the balance of protection and projection.
Resources recommended by Episode 8 guest speakers: 
Katherina Ley Best et al. (2023). Climate and readiness: Understanding climate vulnerability of U.S. joint force readiness. RAND Corporation (RRA1551-1).

Aviation fuel emissions have been an enduring issue for air forces in the fight for climate resilience. However, with developments in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) driven by mandates, what else is on the radar for air operations?
Continuing with our domain focused sub-series, episode 7 of The Resilience Brief podcast pivots to the air domain, to discuss the challenges and potential solution that are fuelling air force activity. NATO air forces are increasingly integrating Sustainable Aviation Fuel to propel their aircraft in the search for sustainability. But emissions alone should not dominate climate conversations within the air domain. Hosts Dr Sarah Ashbridge and Lieutenant Colonel Ali Beard invite two guests who can shed light on wider priorities, challenges and success stories.
Group Captain Maurice Dixon and Honorary Group Captain Kevin Billings dial in to tell us how specific environments affect air platforms and planning, sharing insights around the tyranny of distance, generating urgency, and human-off-the-loop potential. There are even important whole-force insights around how the SAF mandate is driving fuel interoperability within air forces specifically. Tune in to find out more.
The views of all speakers represent their own opinions based on their individual experiences. All views belong to the individual speakers and do not reflect the official position of their employers or the IMCCS
This podcast has been created thanks to the sponsorship and partnership of Frazer-Nash and the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE). This product has also been enabled by the production services of Two Jacks Communications and project management services of S A Consultancy (Yorkshire).
Resources recommended by Episode 8 guest speakers:
Ivo Andrić (1977). The Bridge Over the River Drina. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
Rear Admiral Neil Moraisetti.
Lieutenant General Richard Nugee CB CVO CBE whose work informed the development of UK MOD (2021). Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston KCB CBE ADC.
Global Air Force Climate Change Collaboration.
Erin Sikorsky (2025). Climate Change on the Battlefield: International Military Responses to the Climate Crisis. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Gwynne Dyer (2010). Climate Wars. Oxford: Oneworld Publications.
MOD UK (2018). Global Strategic Trends – The Future Starts Today.
Nik Gowing and Chris Langdon (2018). Thinking the Unthinkable: A new imperative for leadership in the digital age. Melton: John Catt Educational Ltd.