Speaking at the Swindon Defence Networking and Insights event at STEAM Museum of the Great Western Railway on Friday, Mr Stone said modern warfare was changing at a pace that government and industry could no longer afford to ignore.
The event, hosted by SDO Associates, brought together more than 250 companies from across defence, engineering and advanced manufacturing. Firms including Stark, Tekever, FlyBy Technology, ICOMAT, MyDefence and Neros were highlighted as part of a growing uncrewed systems cluster in and around Swindon.
Mr Stone told delegates that the country faced serious questions about whether it was properly equipped for the conflicts of the future.
“As a politician, I have to ask myself the tough questions sometimes, ones you don’t always want the answers to, like, is the nation ready for the war of tomorrow?” he said. “I think we can all say without hesitation that we are not.”
He stressed that his criticism was not aimed at British service personnel, who he described as “some of the best trained soldiers on the planet”, but at the speed with which equipment and technology are made available to them.
Mr Stone said warfare was undergoing a rapid transformation, with drones and lower-cost technologies disrupting traditional military systems.
“We are in an evolution of warfare,” he said. “We are seeing things change before our very eyes.”
But beyond the warning, the speech was also a clear pitch for Swindon’s future.
Mr Stone said that just over a year ago he set out his ambition.
“Fast forward to where we are today, and Swindon is becoming widely recognised as the drone manufacturing hub of the UK,” he said. “We have seven companies, which are new, or setting up bases in town, and an eighth coming next week, possibly nine, and a lot of investment on the horizon.”
Liam Hutchinson My Defence, Will Stone MP,
SDO Stuart Olden
For Swindon, this is not the first time it has had to redefine itself.
The town’s growth was originally driven by the railway works of the Great Western Railway, which turned Swindon into a major industrial centre. In later decades, particularly through the 1980s and 1990s, it attracted large employers in like Nationwide Building Society.
Now, a new identity is being formed, one centred on defence, advanced manufacturing and uncrewed systems.
That shift raises a more fundamental question, not just about economic growth, but about public consent. How will this direction be welcomed by residents, as the next phase of Swindon’s development.
The answer is likely to depend on how tangible the benefits become. High-value defence jobs and inward investment will be attractive, but only if they translate into real opportunities for local people, from skills and training to long-term employment. From Mr Stone’s aspiration this feels like the intent.
The wider event itself focused on building connections between government, academia and industry, with organisers positioning Swindon as a place capable of moving quickly and supporting defence innovation.
Mr Stone argued that this ability to act with speed and coordination is what sets the town apart.
“What I looked at with my strategic planning was, how do I do the jobs which people don’t want to do?” he said, describing efforts to link businesses with planning, property and local government support.
He suggested that this model could be applied nationally.
“If we take upon us the Swindon approach of agile, integrated working among partners, we absolutely can be ready,” he said. “We absolutely can re-industrialise our country and be fit for purpose, because it’s been done here.”
Whether that claim holds will depend on what comes next.
Swindon has positioned itself before, and successfully, but turning ambition into a lasting industrial identity requires momentum. It demands sustained investment, a skilled workforce and a clear link between national strategy and local benefit.
The direction of travel is becoming clearer. The question now is whether the town, and its residents, fully buy into where it is heading.
If the investment continues, if local people are brought into that growth through jobs, skills and opportunity, and if companies embed themselves into the community they are entering, this could mark the beginning of a new chapter for the town.
The ambition set by Will, and supported by the local authority, is clear. The early work has begun. What happens next will determine whether Swindon simply hosts this industrial shift, or leads it into the future.
