The UK’s commitment to be a leader in innovative defence technologies will be strengthened as Anthony Reeves takes up DG Innovation role. After an external competition, he will become the newest 3* senior civil servant within National Armaments, part of the organisation’s Executive Committee, and the Ministry of Defence’s first Director General (DG) Innovation.
Taking up the role this Autumn, Mr Reeves will lead the newly designed National Armaments Innovation area, which includes some 4,800 experts and scientists working in the Defence Investment Unit (DIU), the Defence Science & Technology Laboratory (Dstl), the Defence Uncrewed Systems Centre (DUSC) and UK Defence Innovation (UKDI).
Mr Reeves will oversee a ringfenced £1.6 billion defence innovation budget over the next four years, as well as supporting £2.1 billion investment in core science and technology. He will play a pivotal role in accelerating the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, fostering collaboration with industry, academia and government departments, and embedding innovation as a core military capability.
Rupert Pearce, the National Armaments director, said: "Anthony’s appointment marks a gear shift for UK Defence as we place innovation at the heart of the way we maintain war-fighting readiness, become an engine for economic growth and learn from the lessons of Ukraine to deter our adversaries. As a leader, Tony brings a rare combination of frontline military experience, deep technical expertise and a proven track record of delivering transformation across Defence, government and industry. His leadership will be instrumental as we strengthen Defence’s innovation ecosystem, accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies and deliver the capabilities our Armed Forces need, now and in the future."
Mr Reeves joins National Armaments from Deloitte, where he led the UK and NATO Digital Defence section and was National Armaments Practice Head and Global AI Leader for Defence and Security. He has worked extensively across UK Defence, NATO, AUKUS partners and defence industry organisations and his experience spans operational military service, national security, emerging technologies, AI and large-scale transformation programmes.
Commenting on his appointment, Mr Reeves said: "Innovation in Defence must be about mindset before toolset. I look forward to working with brilliant colleagues across Defence, industry, academia and our international partners to make innovation everyone’s business, bring new technologies into military service at pace, and deliver tangible growth for the UK."
Under his leadership, National Armaments Innovation will identify, mature and exploit emerging capabilities, strengthen collaboration with industry, academia and allies, and help ensure the Armed Forces can access the technologies and capabilities needed to maintain operational advantage.
Mr Reeves' earlier career included responsibility for delivering critical communications, networks and information capabilities for military operations and specialist users, alongside operational deployments as an infantry officer in the British Army, which included Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo and Sierra Leone.
Before joining Deloitte in 2020, he advised defence organisations on digital transformation and technology adoption at Microsoft, and led major defence and national security programmes within PA Consulting and Detica. He is a regular speaker on defence innovation, digital transformation and artificial intelligence, and serves as a Board member of the AI Institute UK, and mentor to future leaders through King’s College London and the Common Mission Project.