"This is the seventh Forum and the second dedicated to the Pacific. It is remarkable that this Forum is taking place on board a British aircraft carrier in Tokyo Bay, and it is a symbol of a transformed relationship with Japan as an international partner.
"Deploying the carrier strike group in 2025 into the Pacific, is an important signal of the continuing commitment and connection between the North Atlantic and the North Pacific. As the ice caps melt, the trade routes of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic will connect, and our security is dependent upon security in both. This is a unique opportunity to bring Government, industry, and academia together to discuss the relationship between the UK and Japan, the interconnectedness between the Pacific and the Atlantic, the importance of economic security, as well as defence relationships.
"The Pacific Future Forum is an opportunity to highlight international cooperation and engagement exemplified by the Global Combat Air Programme, developing sixth-generation fighter aircraft and bringing British, Japanese and Italian expertise together. It illustrates the wider global presence of the UK and the reassurance to our Pacific allies and partners that NATO first is not NATO only.
"The Forum is unique because of the convening power of the aircraft carrier. We are one of a handful of countries in the world that have two, fifth generation aircraft carriers and that is a unique opportunity for us. There are many security, foreign policy and defence conferences, but what sets the Forum apart from the others is that it brings together Government, academia, the defence industry, and the tech sector in a different kind of cocktail. The Forum facilitates genuine dialogue about the issues of defence and tech capability, not just the geopolitical issues that are driving that requirement. That is one of the things that is unique about the Forum, and it is important we retain that differentiator.
"Now, more than ever, it is really important that we forge a genuinely different partnership between Government and industry in the defence and defence technology sectors. As events happen, we must retain the flexibility to be able to deal with crises that might arise elsewhere, triggered by climate change, by political events and those triggered by a combination of the two. We can only do that through a really flexible partnership with our allies and a really flexible partnership with industry and tech. Julia Longbottom and I, welcome everyone on board HMS Prince of Wales, as we look forward to advancing the agenda of integration and partnership between countries, allies, industry, and Government."
The Lord Sedwill GCMG FRGS
Chair Pacific Future Forum
