The war in Ukraine will prompt governments to refocus on buying conventional weapons, on top of next-generation high-tech systems, as they reassess global threats, the head of one of the world’s biggest defence companies has said.
Greg Hayes, chief executive of Raytheon, one of the Pentagon’s top five “prime” defence contractors, said he expected there to be a “change in procurement” priorities over the next two years as governments looked to replenish stockpiles of weapons that had been depleted in the conflict but also as they “rethink what the threat environment is”.
Ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the US has maintained that the Indo-Pacific region remains its top defence and strategic priority, where naval and air systems take precedence and land systems are deprioritised. Defence experts believe a dual approach is now necessary.