Excel Centre, London. 12 September 2025 . Make UK Defence today welcomed Avril Joliffe, Director General for International Collaboration and Exports, to its stand at DSEI 2025. Her visit highlighted the growing importance of exports and international partnerships in strengthening the UK’s defence sector, and the central role SMEs play in that mission.
Avril Joliffe, appointed earlier this year, leads the Ministry of Defence’s work to deepen collaboration with allies and expand the UK’s export success. Her engagement at DSEI reflects the Government’s commitment to ensuring the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) drives both security and prosperity by helping UK firms compete internationally.
Recent months have seen a series of major export successes for the UK defence sector, including the £10 billion agreement with Norway for new anti-submarine warships. Deals of this scale not only strengthen the UK’s partnerships with NATO allies but also ripple across the supply chain, generating opportunities for SMEs, safeguarding sovereign capability, and creating skilled jobs in communities across the country.
Survey data released by Make UK Defence this week shows that 60% of its SME members are already exporting directly to NATO allies, with 25% supplying vital equipment to Ukraine. These figures demonstrate that smaller firms are not only supporting sovereign capability but also delivering for the UK’s partners overseas.
Andrew Kinniburgh, Director General of Make UK Defence, said:
“We were delighted to welcome Avril Joliffe to our stand today. Her brief goes to the heart of what our members are achieving, building international partnerships, driving exports, and showcasing the best of British engineering on the global stage. SMEs are leading this effort: innovative, agile and export-ready. With the right support, they can expand further into international markets and strengthen the UK’s role as a reliable partner to NATO and beyond.”
At DSEI 2025, 52 Make UK Defence member companies are exhibiting under the association’s banner, showcasing capabilities ranging from advanced manufacturing and digital technologies to autonomy and precision engineering. Many of these firms are dual-use innovators, producing technologies that strengthen both UK Armed Forces and civilian markets, while opening new export opportunities.
The DIS reinforces the importance of exports by embedding international collaboration at the heart of procurement decisions and by ensuring all major acquisitions are assessed for their export potential. For SMEs, this creates greater visibility and positions them to contribute directly to global supply chains.
Make UK Defence will continue to champion its SME members in engaging with the MOD and international partners, ensuring they can maximise opportunities, grow exports, and contribute to UK prosperity as well as collective defence.
