In this issue

Earlier this year NATO conducted the world’s largest live-fire cyber exercise, Locked Shield 2018, challenging participants to respond to high-intensity attacks on the IT systems and critical infrastructure networks of a fictional country. We find out how live cyber exercises help train military cyber specialists to defend national assets against attacks.

We also report on key tech from this year’s Eurosatory with a focus on  land vehicles and amphibious vehicles, investigate the role of automation in the US Army’s ‘Big Six’ modernisation goals, and take a look at the development of the US military's Meals, Ready to Eat.

Plus, we round up the big defence topics and views from the IFS World Conference earlier this year, and ask how the UK’s MoD will fund the Trident nuclear deterrent programme which was revealed to be almost £3bn over the available budget and looks set to further aggravate the UK’s growing equipment funding issues.

Susanne Hauner, editor