Upcoming Event | Future of Security 2026
Future of Security: Economic Statecraft and Article 2 in an Era of Economic Nationalism
29–30 June 2026 | Bush House, King’s College London
Now in its second year, the Future of Security is the UK’s most senior convening forum at the intersection of economic security, defence and finance. This invite-only, two-day event brings together policy makers, senior executives from financial services and corporates, defence and security leaders, innovators and academics to define the actions that will drive economic security across the UK, Europe and allied nations.
Future of Security 2026
Why 2026 is the year that matters
The urgency of this year's event is hard to overstate. The effectiveness of NATO to uphold the principles of Articles 2 and 3, which define collective economic security and resilience, is now openly challenged by a shift in geopolitics towards Great Power Spheres of Influence. As traditional alliances recalibrate and economic nationalism reshapes trade, finance and supply chains, the question facing every government, institution and business is the same: are we prepared?
The 2025 event brought together nearly 200 senior leaders over two days and generated two concrete outcomes: the establishment of the Sovereign Resilience Fund (SRF), a private credit fund addressing the working capital financing gap for defence and security SMEs, and the creation of Security and Resilience Technologies Ltd, a data business identifying economic threats and providing Digital IDs for businesses in Defence and Security supply chains. The SRF's Investment Advisors are already working with some 40 businesses across the UK and Europe, with a pipeline of around £68m.
The 2026 event builds on this momentum with a sharper focus on what a conflict-ready economy must look like.
The questions we are asking
What is the state of Economic Statecraft in 2026?
To paraphrase Kissinger – who do you pick up the phone to when you want to talk about Economic Security in the UK, Europe and beyond? Are our traditional tools enough, and how must stakeholders work together to ensure our economies are prepared for conflict?
Where are our economic vulnerabilities and how do we move to a preparedness economy?
How do we identify threats, react to them, and use economic and financial tools both offensively and defensively? How do threats from space, cyber attacks and critical infrastructure vulnerabilities affect our capacity to function economically?
Are supply chains a means of fighting economic warfare?
The interdependencies of the global economy make it almost impossible to disentangle technology, finance, digital trade, shipping and logistics, and even climate. How do corporates and financial institutions balance national security imperatives with fiduciary duty?
How are commodity markets affected by the shift to geoeconomic spheres of influence?
Can Europe survive given its dependency on outside energy sources? What are the threats to food security and energy transition from the stranglehold that Great Powers maintain over rare earth metals, grain supplies and hard commodities?
Event Format
The Future of Security uniquely combines two complementary days of immersive engagement, held under the Chatham House Rule.
Day One — The Economic Wargame A practitioners’ action-oriented hackathon and economic wargame. Using increasing geostrategic tensions in the Arctic Circle as a backdrop, multi-disciplinary teams work through a simulated conflict-ready economy: new trade routes, the economic and political presence of China and Russia, cyber threats, undersea cable vulnerabilities and the consequences of a melting Arctic ice-cap. The game introduces live “events” and crises, features an AI-generated newsroom and emerging threat data, and is anchored by high-profile keynote speakers integrated into the narrative.
Day Two — Strategy and Policy Senior leaders discuss the strategic and policy implications of Day One’s outcomes. The day combines keynotes, panels, fireside chats and audience polling, with each session aiming to generate concrete action points that will define the Centre for Economic Security’s manifesto for the year ahead.
Indicative Day Two Agenda:
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 08:30–09:30 | Breakfast & Registration |
| 09:30–09:45 | Welcome: CES and King’s College — how did we fare against last year’s call to action? |
| 09:45–10:00 | Keynote: UK Government |
| 10:00–10:15 | Fireside Chat: Corporate/Finance CEO — the private sector’s role in a preparedness economy |
| 10:15–11:00 | Panel 1: The State of Economic Statecraft — what have we learned and what do we still need to do? |
| 11:00–11:30 | Coffee & Networking |
| 11:30–12:15 | Panel 2: Where are our economic security vulnerabilities and how do we address them? |
| 12:15–13:00 | Panel 3: Supply chains and logistics as offensive and defensive tools in economic statecraft |
| 13:00–14:15 | Networking Lunch |
| 14:15–15:00 | Panel 4: Are sustainability and security the same thing? Weaponised commodities and food, energy and climate security |
| 15:00–15:45 | Ask the Audience: interactive polling session |
| 15:45–16:15 | Fireside Chat: “A Dollar a Year?” — how can business, finance and government work together? |
| 16:15–16:45 | Final Keynote |
| 16:45–17:00 | Closing Remarks: So what and now what? |
| 17:00 onwards | Networking Drinks |
Who Should Attend
This event is for senior leaders who operate at the intersection of economics, finance, policy and security. If any of the following describes you, this event is essential:
- Policy makers whose goals depend on the capacity of economic actors — banks and corporates — to implement strategy
- Financial services organisations navigating the tension between national security imperatives and fiduciary duty
- Corporates managing a constantly shifting geopolitical landscape and its consequences for supply chains and market access
- Defence and security professionals concerned with the capacity of critical supply chains to deliver at pace
- Defence suppliers needing to understand barriers to finance and how to overcome them
About the Event Partnership
The Future of Security is a partnership between the Centre for Economic Security and King’s College London. It is invite-only and held under the Chatham House Rule.
Venue: Bush House, King’s College London Dates: 29–30 June 2026
For sponsorship enquiries or to register your interest in attending, please contact:
Dr. Rebecca Harding – rebeccaharding@ces-global.net