Mr. Michael Clayforth Carr, a consultant to the airspace, defense and security sector and advisor to the United Kingdom government at the International Conference “Defending Democracy: Battlefield of Truth”, held at the Hotel Continental in Skopje, North Macedonia, political leaders, journalists, civil society representatives, and educators from across Europe gathered to discuss the challenges of defending democratic values in the face of disinformation, hybrid warfare, and authoritarian threats, focused on the industrial perspective, said: If I can, just to set the scene and then to talk a little bit about industrial defense, industrial capacity, innovation and learning from Ukraine, economic and political sustainability and the implications the for the coalition.

Opening Remarks by Michael Clayforth Carr

I’d like to focus today on the industrial perspective — setting the scene by looking at defense industrial capacity, innovation, lessons from Ukraine, and the economic and political sustainability of our collective efforts, and what this means for the coalition going forward.

At the beginning of this conflict, our approach could best be described as an emergency response — an urgent effort to support Ukraine militarily, to help build both defensive and offensive capabilities. That phase is now evolving. We are entering a new stage where the focus must shift toward reconstruction, economic growth, and post-conflict recovery — but also understanding what we do in the meantime.

Initially, it may have seemed that Ukraine needed our help. But I believe we now understand that we need Ukraine’s help just as much as they need ours. Russia must see that we — as a coalition — are credible, capable, and united. And Ukraine has demonstrated, in very real terms, what works and what does not in modern warfare — often in ways that challenged our earlier assumptions.

One theme that has come through in many of today’s interventions is the importance of narrative, language, and ambition. Political will and commitment are essential, but they must be translated into tangible action and measurable outcomes.

Over the past few years, we have seen defense budgets increase — largely under U.S. influence — but in many cases, that spending has not yet materialized. It has helped supply Ukraine, yes, but we also need to strengthen our own defense industries to make ourselves more powerful, more capable, and more credible than ever before.

Another clear lesson is that we can no longer rely entirely on U.S. support. We will continue to depend on it in many ways, but this conflict has shown that Europe must take greater responsibility for its own security and be more in control of its own destiny.

From an industrial defense perspective, the challenge now is not only about political will but about political output — increasing production capacity and output to sustain Ukraine and to ensure our own long-term security. This includes ammunition, drones, air defense systems, repair capabilities, and more.

Public-private collaboration is becoming increasingly vital. We must think not only about support during the conflict, but also about how to rebuild Ukraine’s economy and enable long-term export capacity.

From the U.K. perspective, there are already initiatives underway:

• Trade associations are leading business missions into Ukraine.

• The Department for Trade is producing guidance manuals for companies to understand how to operate in Ukraine.

• Efforts are ongoing to attract venture capital and inward investment.

However, we must also be alert to Russian tactics, including the use of front companies posing as investors to extract innovation and intelligence. This highlights the need for constant vigilance in how we engage economically with Ukraine.

Another key factor is time. I am certainly not suggesting prolonging conflict — but the longer Ukraine can resist Russian aggression, the more time we have to strengthen our own capabilities. We must move faster to build our defense and credibility.

Russia is a state where one man makes the decisions, while we are a coalition of 28 or 30 countries. That means we must show that democracy can be agile — that we can act decisively, quickly, and effectively.

Perhaps the most striking lesson from Ukraine has been its innovation and adaptability — its capacity to evolve in real time. That “war-fighting mentality” is something we, in the West, have largely lost. While we understand the threats and the necessary responses, our wider publics often do not share that sense of urgency. Many ordinary citizens see the situation as stagnant, or even believe Ukraine cannot win.

We must counter that perception — not just with rhetoric, but with evidence, success stories, and visible progress. Keeping our populations motivated and informed is essential.

There is a twin-track approach here: helping Ukraine, while also letting Ukraine help us — by learning from their innovations, their resilience, and their capacity to adapt under pressure.

In the UK Strategic Defence Review, we have explicitly recognized that the innovation emerging from Ukraine should be embedded in our own long-term defense strategies.

So the challenge for the coalition is this: to maintain political unity, yes — but also to ensure that our words translate into action, that our resolve leads to results, and that we build credible capability alongside our partners.

Some countries are progressing faster than others, but we must all demonstrate that we are becoming more powerful, more prepared, and less vulnerable to Russian pressure.

When we provide support to Ukraine, it must be serious, sustained, and credible — not just Europeans talking about values, but acting on them.

Finally, we must sustain popular support at home, especially as we face an unpredictable and potentially reduced level of U.S. engagement in the future.

So, I’ll stop there for now — perhaps I’ve said a few things that are not entirely comfortable, but they are necessary to confront. I’m happy to expand on any of these points in discussion.

The panel was held as part of the international conference “Defending Democracy: Battlefield of Truth”, organized within the framework of the project “Democratic Navigator”, with the support of the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany.