Defence Estates & Infrastructure

The future of the Royal Navy is being shaped today through long-term planning, strategic investment, and forward-thinking infrastructure development. In this exclusive interview, James Heaton-Smith, Programme Director of CLYDE 2070, provides a unique perspective on the decades-long transformation underway at Naval Base Clyde.

Speaking from His Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth, Heaton-Smith outlines how the Defence Infrastructure Organisation is setting the foundation for the future. He discusses how CLYDE 2070 is not only reimagining the naval base itself, but also ensuring it is equipped to support the Royal Navy’s evolving operational needs, technological advancements, and the wider defence strategy.

This conversation highlights the scale of investment, the importance of resilience and adaptability, and the long-term vision driving one of the most significant infrastructure programmes within UK Defence. Watch the full interview to hear directly from a programme leader at the heart of this transformation, and understand how today’s decisions are preparing the Royal Navy for tomorrow’s challenges.

The Defence Estates & Infrastructure 2025 conference took place in London from the 30th September to the 1st October, uniting experts and decision-makers from across the global defence community. Officially supported by the UK Ministry of Defence, the event convened key figures including Heads of Infrastructure, Programme Directors, Defence Estate Commanders, and senior representatives from NATO, the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force, and allied defence ministries.

This year’s theme, “Optimising the Defence Estate of the Future,” explored how defence organisations can modernise their infrastructure to remain sustainable, resilient, and operationally effective. Over two intensive days, delegates engaged in high-level discussions designed to address the critical question: how can defence organisations deliver sustainable, affordable, and resilient estates that underpin both operational readiness and personnel wellbeing?

The event hosted 185 attendees from 18 nations, featuring 28 expert speakers across keynote addresses, panel sessions, and networking forums. With contributions from the UK Ministry of Defence, the Royal Navy, NATO, and allied partners including Denmark, Norway, Canada, Poland, and Latvia, the conference offered attendees a crucial platform for strategic insight and knowledge exchange across the global defence infrastructure community. This Post Show Report summarises the key themes, discussions, and insights shared across both days of the conference.

Forward Operating Bases are essential to providing support at the tactical and strategic levels of operation. However, as with many aspects of force deployment, FOBs must adapt to the new realities of increasingly volatile near-peer threats and the need for readiness. This calls us to rethink base deployment and operations. This article by defence journalist and author Tim Ripley explores the differences in the operating environment and the steps that must be taken to ensure FOBs remain relevant on the battlefield.

As with many other Forces, the NATO alliance is rationalising how it provides infrastructure and facilities to the troops. This rationalisation results from several political, geopolitical, climatical, and cultural changes pushing for the revision of the future vision of Defence Estates and Infrastructure. To speak on this from a NATO perspective, we have Sébastien Seguin, Chief of Division, Infrastructure, Facilities and Support Services of the NSPA, who informs us of NATO’s goals and programmes and potential trends and futures.

To meet today’s national security challenges, Defence Estates must provide sustainable and affordable buildings and accommodations to support national defence needs while satisfying personnel's needs. While not mutually exclusive, the challenge is brought to bear when considering limited financial resources and efficiency goals. Defence Estates and Infrastructure brings together experts worldwide into one place to discuss these challenges and opportunities. Our chairman, Air Commodore James Savage, former Head of Accommodation in the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, will lead the discussion. In this interview, the Air Commodore will share his views on the state and future of DE&I.