Welcome to the inaugural Battlespace Advantage Symposium 2026 presented by the Integrated Warfare Centre (IWC), part of the Cyber & Specialist Operations Command (CSOC).

The Battlespace Advantage Symposium is the UK’s premier event dedicated to advancing integrated warfighting capability and achieving superiority across all operational domains – Land, Maritime, Air, Space, Cyber and the Electro-Magnetic Spectrum.

Technological evolution is accelerating, and environments are increasingly congested, contested, degraded or denied. Battlespace Advantage refers to the ability of a military force to dominate and control the operational environment across all domains – while denying the adversary the opportunity to do the same. It encompasses superior situational awareness, effective integration of joint and coalition forces, and the ability to apply decisive effects at the right time and place.

This symposium brings together senior military leaders, government officials, international partners, practitioners and innovators from defence, industry, and academia to explore how technology, integration, and operational excellence combine to deliver decisive advantage in the battlespace. The Battlespace Advantage Symposium aligns joint operations, capability development, and emerging technologies to enhance the UK’s ability to fight and win in complex, contested environments.

The symposium is led by the Integrated Warfare Centre (IWC), part of the Cyber & Specialist Operations Command within the UK Ministry of Defence working with a wide range of cross-UK Government and international partners. Over two days, the Battlespace Advantage Symposium will facilitate deep discussion on the challenges, opportunities, and technologies shaping all-domain operations. It provides a vital platform for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovation across the Defence enterprise.

Why This Event is Different

Unlike other Defence events that focus on individual domains or capabilities, the Battlespace Advantage Symposium is wholly all-domain – bringing together the entire integrated force.

To address the challenges between the domain seams and explore resolutions, understand what capabilities we have now, how we would fight tonight and win together are key topics for the symposium.

This symposium is not about showcasing technologies or strategies; it is about operationalising integration. It bridges the gap between concept and practice, aligning experimentation, doctrine, and capability delivery to enable joint effects in complex and contested environments.

The uniqueness of the event features a cross-domain focus as well as a forward-looking exploration of how to deliver decision superiority and mission advantage at every level of command. 

Purpose

The purpose of the Battlespace Advantage Symposium is to:

Inform and inspire a committed community to deepen understanding and drive meaningful future change.

• Explore how we achieve Battlespace Advantage now and in the future; drive and shape thought leadership on the strategic importance of battlespace management.
• Shape a shared understanding of what Battlespace Advantage means for UK Defence and its allies and partners.
• Identify how integration, technology, and information superiority combine to achieve operational dominance.
• Strengthen relationships and interoperability with Defence, industry, academia and international allies and partners.

The symposium will generate actionable outputs to guide integrated capability development, inform joint experimentation, and reinforce Defence’s approach to multi-domain operations.

Themes For The Battlespace Advantage Symposium 2026

All stages of the event will focus on the seams between the domains:

• Full-Spectrum – Electromagnetic Spectrum / Positioning Navigation & Timing

How can the UK achieve superiority across the electromagnetic spectrum to protect ourselves and degrade others? What advances can be made to secure and protect PNT? This theme explores how full-spectrum integration enables precise, coordinated, and adaptive operations across all domains.

• Air Maritime Integration – Lessons from recent operations

How can the UK strengthen integration between air and maritime forces? Drawing on lessons from recent operations, from carrier strike and maritime patrol to shared intelligence and coordinated strike capability, this theme explores how unified air /  sea power can deliver decisive effect across the battlespace.

• Air Land Integration  

How can the UK optimise coordination between air and land forces to achieve decisive operational advantage? From joint targeting and manoeuvre to integrated command and control, this theme explores how synchronised air land operations can deliver agility, precision, and dominance on the modern battlefield.

• Air Space Integration

How can the UK achieve cohesive integration between air and space capabilities to enhance operational effectiveness? From shared intelligence and surveillance to resilient command and control, this theme explores how synchronising air and space power can deliver superiority across the modern battlespace.

Event Details

The Battlespace Advantage Symposium 2026 will be held at the Institution of Engineering and Technology, London, from 25-26 March 2026.

The two-day event will feature keynote addresses, focused thematic discussions, case studies from recent experience, and networking opportunities, including an evening reception on Day One.

Day Two will offer a more targeted session, providing an opportunity to deepen understanding through case studies.

Delegates: Participants from across the UK Defence enterprise, allied forces, government departments, academia, and the defence technology and innovation sector, including:

• Cyber & Specialist Operations Command
• Royal Navy
• British Army
• Royal Air Force
• Military Strategic Headquarters (MSHQ)
• Defence Science & Technology Laboratory (Dstl)
• National Armaments Director Group (NADG)
• UK Space Command
• Ministry of Defence and partner nations
• NATO
• Academic institutions and leading defence technology innovators

The Symposium’s discussions and outputs will inform future capability development, guide integration efforts across UK Defence, and strengthen collective understanding of what it means to achieve and sustain Battlespace Advantage.