“It worries me that we will be seen as the generation that screwed it up” - It was inspiring to hear UK CGS Gen. Sir Roly Walker (Head of the British Army) talk so candidly this week about his absolute determination to accelerate defence transformation to ensure deterrence.

Uncrewed air power is today tech, not tomorrow tech - & we have to get after it in practice, not theory if we’re not going to get left behind. It was an honour to be in the RAF Club in London for productive & forthright discussions on air power, with military leaders, experts & Helsing colleagues

Honoured to present Helsing’s Mastering Military Change project at NATO’s Allied Foresight Conference in Berlin - & delighted how much it resonated with the audience. Kudos to NATO ACT on a great event with a really expert crowd, top keynotes & insightful panels.

Great way to be welcomed back to Berlin! Especially after a day talking to some of the brightest, bravest & best communicators on European defence.

Excellent discussions & a great crowd at the Howgate Firebreak event at the beautiful Honourable Artillery Company in the heart of the City. I’m happy Helsing helped this happen & brought @amosfox.bsky.social together with Gen Nick Carter for a super panel. @howgatepublishing.bsky.social

The message landed in Copenhagen. Just do it. It was great to talk with so many people who clearly understand that Europe’s massive defence investment has to deliver massive upgrades in combat power - fast. With @AndersFoghR #CDS2026 2:59:30 to 3:10:00 www.youtube.com/live/XVhxoAW...

Great to be in Copenhagen for an excellent & highly productive workshop yesterday with defence officials, experts and military leaders - and now to participate in the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, which Helsing is proud to support. #CDS2026

I love the realistic yet ambitious approach, focusing on the practical measures we CAN take to become a stronger sovereign player, partner & ally step-by-step. Clear diagnosis, guiding policy and prioritised, coherent and costed actions - this is the essence of strategy and essential reading.

Developing resilient, sovereign capability is not just necessary, it is possible as this excellent in-depth paper from @nicolange.bsky.social @schularick.bsky.social Jeanette Zu Fürstenberg, Tom Enders, Rene Obermann & others shows www.kielinstitut.de/fileadmin/Da...

This is how we take our future in our hands. Europeans must act to end our critical defence dependencies & activate our strategic, geopolitical agency amid growing power competition - & we CAN. www.kielinstitut.de/fileadmin/Da...

This is how we take our future in our hands. Europeans must act to end our critical defence dependencies & activate our strategic, geopolitical agency amid growing power competition - & we CAN. www.kielinstitut.de/fileadmin/Da...

How AI is really being used in war Great to hear my v.smart colleague @JamesLawson on the excellent @theeconomistnews.bsky.social Science Podcast ‘Babbage’ with @shashj.bsky.social & Alok Jha showing how Helsing is pioneering military AI to protect our democracies economist.com/podcasts/202...

How AI is really being used in war

Our podcast on science and technology. Is artificial intelligence living up to its promise on the battlefield?

economist.com

Up bright & early heading to London for the #AuroraForum Excited to represent Helsing & engage with decision-makers from across Nordic-Baltic region - especially on learning the right lessons from #Ukraine 🇺🇦 to address our vulnerability to Russian threat by embracing new defence tech

Procurement must be Timely as well as Transparent ✅ We have to move at the speed of relevance, the speed of military and geopolitical need. ❌Legacy models will be too slow and too expensive. Key message from Stephen Fuhr PC MP CD 🇨🇦 to a packed hall at the impressive CDAI #OttawaConference

Learning on the Front Line. Hitting high-values targets at depth. Helsing in #Ukraine defence-blog.com/russian-forc...

Russian forces report strikes by German HX-2 drones

Ukrainian forces are increasingly employing German-made HX-2 one-way strike drones along multiple frontline sectors, according to reporting by Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi. Militarnyi reported ...

defence-blog.com

Great to be at #CafeKyiv today & proud that Helsing supported this important event. It’s been inspiring to hear so many insightful points, catch up with friends united in the fight for our free future, & to see such strong political & public support for the defining cause of our times.

What a difference a year makes.

The moment you arrive, you know this year’s Munich Security Conference will be different. #MSC2026 As @nicolange.bsky.social said so powerfully at the @atlantikbruecke.bsky.social dinner - Europe needs to grow its backbone. Helsing provides the tools to do just that. @munsecconf.bsky.social

ICYMI! Great piece from @glandsbergis.bsky.social from before xmas on why Europe needs a new, two-track approach to deterrence - & fast! Europe’s security situation is changing fast— pretending otherwise is becoming dangerous & GL’s piece is even more pertinent now 🧵 table.media/en/security/...

Europe needs its own deterrent

The former Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, is calling for Europe to have a deterrent of its own. In his view, Berlin has a central role to play here.

table.media

Great interview @shashj.bsky.social - & a super way to get a clearer understanding of Helsing’s vision, how we’re supplying Ukraine with advanced strike drones & building the capabilities that Europe needs for effective deterrence. Europe has the tools to take our future in our hands.

New Tech ≠ Military Transformation - or advantage. A powerful reminder from fmr UK CDS Nick Carter in his new @WarOnTheRocks article Learning from #Ukraine & military history, real change needs integration, vision & realistic experimentation at scale warontherocks.com/2026/01/a-ne...

A New Way of Warfare Requires More Than New Tech

When I look back at my 45 years of military service, one of the highlights of my military education was a battlefield tour I participated in during 2001

warontherocks.com

Very pleased to make this list. Thanks for including me @bctallis.bsky.social

Benjamin Tallis@bctallis.bsky.social · 7mo ago

My top 20 reads of 2025 (incl a few evergreen re-reads) These books materially shaped how I think and work — and several translated directly into real professional impact. I’ve got a strong list for 2026, but I’m keen to sharpen it:  - what should I be reading next?

My top 20 reads of 2025 (incl a few evergreen re-reads) These books materially shaped how I think and work — and several translated directly into real professional impact. I’ve got a strong list for 2026, but I’m keen to sharpen it:  - what should I be reading next?

Military need & geopolitical reality not bureaucratic timelines or fiscal shortsightedness must drive Europe’s rearmament. We need to align pol, Econ & mil timelines to transform our forces, fast. Delayed deterrence is failed deterrence - & failed deterrence costs so much more.

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Benjamin Tallis@bctallis.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Honoured to be at @rusi.bsky.social for CDS lecture in London. A broad ‘whole of society’ vision & strong words on lethality, but as the questions showed, UK need to dispel a perceived ‘say-do gap’. Building on Atlantic Bastion model to get new capability at speed & scale would do just that.

Honoured to be at @rusi.bsky.social for CDS lecture in London. A broad ‘whole of society’ vision & strong words on lethality, but as the questions showed, UK need to dispel a perceived ‘say-do gap’. Building on Atlantic Bastion model to get new capability at speed & scale would do just that.

Next leg of the Winterreise. After a brief festive pit stop in beautiful #Prague, I’m now back on the road, heading to #London for meetings with experts & a special event. We have so much to protect - & much to do to protect it, but wherever I’ve been so far we’re stepping up.

Baby, it’s cold outside! Wonderful, short but intense wintry trip to #Ottawa. Great to check in with experts, policy shapers & industry players & feel the energy for defence transformation & building military capability using AI. Geopolitical winter is coming but we need to be #preparednotscared

Political will meets cutting edge expertise & industrial dynamism. ⏩🇩🇪🇨🇦🦾 It was an honour to co-lead the session on rising to new security challenges at the excellent German-Canadian AI Symposium in Montreal in the company of political, industry & AI leaders. Now we all need to deliver.

Munich was looking wonderfully festive, & it was a wrench to leave after such a flying visit - though we crammed a lot of work in with a high-intensity engagement with military leaders. But, it’s already ‘giddy up Jingle Horse’, and on to Montreal via, a lovely dawn, for the AI symposium.