The Resilience Brief

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.      

Like land forces, navies are faced with the breadth and scale of climate related risks, so how is climate science informing conversations around maritime platforms and the future demands upon naval services? Our sub-series on domain specific risks continues with episode 6, which focuses on the unique threats and challenges for naval operations. What are the unique threats presented by a changing maritime environment, and how do these changes affect platforms? How are different navies responding to the increasing number of requests for humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HADR) services? Special guests Lisa Hammock (Royal Navy) and Arnaud Boehmann (independent analyst) join hosts Dr Sarah Ashbridge and Lieutenant Colonel Ali Beard to discuss key challenges and the importance of narratives to support strategic direction in the naval sphere. Our guests introduce us to projects from within NATO, such as the UK Royal Navy's work to explore the refuelling of a carrier strike group deployment, or the NATO Defence College Rome's modelling of future oceans; but also highlight lessons from allied partners such as Brazil and Indonesia. Intrigued? Tune in to find out more. Clarification: In this discussion, "multi-role" refers to a medical ship's ability to provide a range of medical services. It should not be interpreted as "dual-use" in an operational and humanitarian sense. In an Article V scenario, medical ships cannot be simultaneously deployed for both operational and humanitarian missions. 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 6 guest speakers:  -            German Advisory Council on Global Change (2007). 'Climate Change as a Security Risk.' -            Andrea Gilli and Mauro Gilli (2025). 'The hunt for Red October in warmer oceans – Climate change and anti-submarine warfare.' NATO Defense College [outlook article], 19 March. Available online: https://www.ndc.nato.int/the-hunt-for-red-october-in-warmer-oceans-climate-change-and-anti-submarine-warfare/ -            David J. C. MacKay (2008). Sustainable Energy – Without the hot air. Cambridge: UIT. -            Stuart Goldsmith – Climate comedian: https://www.stuartgoldsmith.com/ -            Laurie Laybourn. 'Overshoot: Navigating a world beyond 1.5°C' podcast: https://www.overshootpod.com/

The threat of climate change on global security means it is an area where Armed Forces must pay increasing attention. But with the challenge varying across domains, how does has it manifested into operational risks for land forces and how are they mitigating them? The first four episodes of The Resilience Brief set the scene, introducing the concept of climate change within Defence and identifying risks. But how is the challenge being tackled by various Armed Forces? This episode marks the first in a new sub-section of the podcast, exploring key trends, challenges and opportunities across the individual domains of land, maritime, and air, before concluding with an episode on Multi-Domain Operations (MDO). Guest speakers, Brigadier Tim Symonds (British Army) and Swathi Veeravalli (General Resilience Solutions), join hosts Dr Sarah Ashbridge and Lieutenant Colonel Ali Beard for a dynamic conversation, discussing the key operational themes including readiness, resupply, endurance, resource demand and power projection. How can land forces prioritise eco-initiatives when there is no readily identifiable, physical enemy on which to focus efforts? 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 5 guest speakers: ·       Weathering Risk partnership between the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Adelphi website, and associated report: Metis Institute for Strategy and Foresight & Bundesnachrichtendienst, 2025, National Interdisciplinary Climate Risk Assessment. ·       Andrew Boyd (2025). I Want a Better Catastrophe: Navigating the Climate Crisis with Grief, Hope, and Gallows Humor. New Society Publishers: British Columbia. ·       Matthew Winning (2021). Hot Mess: What on earth can we do about climate change? London: Headline Publishing Group. ·       Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). ·       Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. ·       On the first hydrogen powered tank: Christopher McFadden (2024). 'Hyundai unveils world's first hydrogen-powered, silent stealth battle tank.' Interesting Engineering (28 October). ·       NATO Concept of Layered Resilience, described within: Rear Admiral John W. Tammen (2021). 'NATO's Warfighting Capstone Concept: anticipating the changing character of war.' NATO Review (9 July). ·       NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence. ·       Defence Energy and Capability Resilience Centre of Excellence, described within: UK MOD (2025). Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth. ·       Partnership between the Australian Defence Force and ARENA, described within: Carnegie Clean Energy (2020). 'Garden Island Microgrid ARENA Knowledge Sharing Report.'