Ren Kapur MBE, Founder and CEO of X-Forces Enterprise
On 25 July, I joined fellow leaders at the Defence Academy in Shrivenham to explore how we strengthen the relationship between Defence and employers.
What struck me most? We won’t achieve national resilience by strategy alone. It must be built with every corner of society, and that includes all of the UK’s 5.5 million businesses. It’s time for practical partnerships.
Small businesses aren’t just part of our economy; they are the heartbeat of our national resilience.
At the Defence Academy’s Employer Engagement Day, I had the privilege of discussing how we bring small businesses into the national defence conversation, particularly around Reservist support, mobilisation, and Professional Military Education (PME) and working towards ambition of a ‘whole society approach’ in the Strategic Defence Review.
Here’s the truth: a business with five employees doesn’t have an HR department. Yet these businesses, many run from kitchen tables and shop floors, have always stepped up in times of crisis. From WWII manufacturing pivots to pandemic-era deliveries and innovation, they show up when it matters.
But if we expect them to continue doing so, we must build a model that fits their world. One that allows them to pause, pivot, and crucially, restart, with government departments like MoD and DBT working together to create trust, flexibility, and reward.
Could this look like a Defence–SME Compact? Regionally tailored toolkits? Tax credits or fast-track procurement for contributors? Yes, but only if co-designed with those businesses in mind.
Let’s not wait for a crisis to ask for their help. Let’s build the playbook together with Big Business supporting Small Business and have a cross governmental strategy.
Because if we want a Defence ecosystem that’s future-ready, we must build it with, not just for, small business.
Read my full reflection at https://renkapur.com/2025/07/28/small-businesses-national-defence-and-the-power-of-practical-partnership/
