This panel at Chatham House’s 2026 London Conference discussed the theme of ‘Total defence: Building Europe’s resilience against permanent threat‘.
The panel, hosted by Olivia O’Sullivan, director of Chatham House’s UK in the World Programme, explored the following questions:
- Has the era of hybrid threats exposed a fundamental gap between European ambitions and actual national resilience?
- What does ‘total defence’ mean in practice – and how far does responsibility extend beyond the state to business and citizens?
- Russia’s playbook targets soft vulnerabilities – infrastructure, information, institutions. Are European societies adequately hardened?
- Can liberal democracies protect their information ecosystems without compromising the openness that defines them?
- What must Britain and its European partners prioritize – in investment, legislation and public culture – to be genuinely resilient for the decade ahead?
Speakers:
The Rt Hon Al Carns, Former Minister for the Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence
Mikhail Kasyanov, Former Prime Minister, Russian Federation
Samantha de Bendern, Associate Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House
Chair: Olivia O’Sullivan, Director, UK in the World Programme, Chatham House