BRIEFING Invitation | Surface Warships Conference
21-22 January 2026|The Copthorne Tara Hotel
London, UK
Commodore Ivo Värk 19 August 2025
Commander
Estonian Navy
INVITATION TO BRIEF
ANNUAL SURFACE WARSHIPS 2026 CONFERENCE
The Copthorne Tara Hotel, London, UK | 21-22 January, 2026
Dear Commodore Värk,
I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to you as the Conference Director of Defence IQ’s Surface Warships which will
be taking place in London, UK on the 21-22, January 2026. It is my great pleasure to invite you to deliver a brief at the
event.
We hope that you will be able to deliver a 20-minute speech on a topic (we would welcome your suggestion for a specific
topic.) This will then be followed by a 10-minute Q&A session which will allow the attendees to benefit from your vast
expertise in these areas. As a speaker you are invited to attend the conference without any fees, and we also extend this
courtesy to any members of your delegation that may be attending with you.
Defence IQ’s Surface Warships 2026 event was a resounding success with nearly 100% of attendees saying they would
recommend the event to their colleagues. Building on this great success, I’m excited to share with you that this annual
meeting of surface warships stakeholders returns in 2026.
This year’s event will build on the work of the 2025 edition, with an expanded speaker line up with senior military
representation from across the Euro-Atlantic. In previous years, the event has featured in-depth discussions on systems of
systems concepts, with this foundation in place, the 2026 edition will move towards detailed discussions on the
implementation of advanced technologies in the warships arena. The warships community is arguably in a season of transition,
with many programs and projects ongoing with the aim of updating current technologies and building the ships and systems
for the fight of the future. This event will provide updates on the key programs ongoing for surface warships internationally.
The event will continue these ever-relevant discussions on integrating warships with autonomous systems, the role of
warships in deterrence and the defence of the Euro-Atlantic. Taking inspiration from the UK’s recent SDR outlining the
need for warfighting readiness is the naval domain, attendees will have the opportunity to explore best strategies for
integrating uncrewed systems on surface warships and the possibilities of data processing and AL/ML technologies for
surface warships. This event will hone in the evolving requirements of surface warships in the modern era for various
regions and environments including: the Black Sea, the Red Sea, the High North and the Arctic as well as the role of surface
warships in amphibious and littoral environments.
I will be your designated direct point of contact. Please contact me on the coordinates below. For our planning purposes, it
would be much appreciated if your staff could indicate your early intent to participate by 5th September, if possible.
Yours Sincerely,
Blessing Aroboto
Senior Conference Producer, Defence IQ
Email:
[email protected]
Phone: 020 3989 6293 | ext 1168