At the Conservative Party Conference last month, I attended a panel discussion featuring Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge. At one point, he apologised for checking his phone during proceedings. He was, he explained, dealing with “incoming attacks”.
Not missiles or drones, thankfully. Journalists.
The Conservatives had just announced their proposed £10 billion “Britannia Shield”, initially likened to Israel’s Iron Dome, and the ensuing argument about what exactly was being promised was clearly keeping the Shadow Defence Secretary busy.
Later, in a smaller roundtable, Cartlidge spoke about deterrence: the idea that preparing convincingly for conflict is one of the best ways of preventing it. He also talked about reservists and the importance of drawing on expertise beyond the regular Armed Forces.
That struck a chord with me. Because defence is not just about missiles, ships and soldiers. It also depends on warehouses. Indeed, UKWA was established during the Second World War, when warehouses themselves were targets.
A couple of weeks before party conference season, UKWA brought together representatives from defence, logistics and property for a panel hosted by Indurent and JLL in Chippenham, entitled “The Battle for Resilience: Storage and Security”. We explored how commercial warehousing could support the country in a crisis, whether caused by conflict, cyberattack or disruption to energy supplies.
Our work with the Ministry of Defence’s Adaptive Capacity Alliance (ACA) takes this further. The aim is to understand which civilian capabilities might be available to Defence when needed, rather than expecting the military to own and operate everything itself.
But warehouse capacity cannot simply be measured in empty square feet. A vacant building may lack trained staff, handling equipment, IT systems, power, security or suitable vehicle access. An apparently underused warehouse may already be committed to customers whose goods must keep moving.
Location matters too. Concentrating stock and operations in a handful of efficient logistics hubs makes commercial sense, but could create vulnerabilities during a national emergency. Resilience may require alternative sites, routes and sources of power, alongside the flexibility to switch between them.
And who pays for that resilience in peacetime? Commercial operators cannot be expected to provide spare capacity on goodwill alone. Insurance, payment, liability, security and existing contracts all need addressing before a crisis. The Government must also be clear about what it actually wants industry to deliver.
Rooftop solar, reliable electricity, secure systems and a skilled workforce may sound less exciting than a headline-grabbing Iron Dome. But they are all part of national preparedness.
At UKWA, we want warehousing recognised as essential infrastructure, with operators, landlords and government planning together now.
After all, the best response to incoming attacks is to be ready before the phone starts ringing.
Clare Bottle
UKWA, CEO
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