New Defence Export Advocate appointed to drive UK defence exports

Lord Mark Lancaster has been appointed as the government’s Defence Export Advocate, to drive the UK’s export success across its world-class defence sector in a new role.

Lord Lancaster, who will report directly to the Trade Secretary, will take on a programme of visits overseas and at home to promote UK defence exports, developing relationships with industry leaders, foreign government ministers and other key industry players to create new export opportunities for UK firms.

The UK’s defence sector is hugely important to the economy. In 2020, it supported more than 92,000 full-time jobs across the country – including more than 20,000 in the South West, where the sector makes a significant contribution to local economies, such as Gloucestershire.

In 2020 the sector also had a turnover of £25.3 billion, while the wider aerospace, defence and security sectors supported

415,000 direct jobs in 2022.

Lord Lancaster brings specialist defence experience to the role – as an active Brigadier in the Army Reserves, and having served as a Defence Minister between 2015-2019.

He was also previously a Major in the Territorial Army, having served as part of NATO peacekeeping forces in Kosovo and Bosnia.

Lord Lancaster will initially focus on defence export opportunities in Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia and Qatar, as well as countries in NATO’s Eastern Flank –markets which DIT’s Defence and Security Exports Directorate, UK DSE, has identified as where he will be able to make the biggest impact in the role.