Willis launches global Defense and Security initiative to connect specialist expertise and strengthen national resilience

LONDON, Oct. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Willis, a WTW business (NASDAQ: WTW), today announced the launch of its new global Defense and Security initiative. The coordinated, sector-led platform connects capabilities across Willis’ specialties and geographies to help defense and security organizations understand interconnected risks, strengthen resilience and make better-informed decisions. The initiative is led at Willis by Jennifer Caldarella.

The scale of the defense and security sector, and the risks that come with it, are growing fast. The world's 100 largest arms-producing and military services companies generated a record US$679 billion in arms revenues in 2024¹. Yet pressure on the industrial base that supports them remains significant. In the US, defense industrial security oversight recorded 815 security violations during the 2025 financial year and 1,032 unresolved security vulnerabilities at cleared contractor facilities since September 2025².

Defense and security organizations are operating at the center of profound geopolitical, technological and economic change. Global military expenditure reached nearly US$2.9 trillion in 2025³ and could approach US$4.7-6.6 trillion by 2035⁴. But capital alone does not create capability, says Willis. Major US defense acquisition programs already take more than 12 years on average to deliver initial capability⁵, widening the gap between investment and operational readiness. Closing it requires organizations to manage cyber, operational, supply chain, regulatory and contracting requirements, constrained insurance capacity and resilience risks that can delay or undermine delivery.

The sector is also changing. Drones, autonomous maritime technology, AI-enabled warfare systems and advanced digital capabilities are transforming how organizations operate, assess risk and deliver mission-critical outcomes. At the same time, a new generation of technology-led companies is entering the market, bringing innovative business models and new risk dimensions.

As organizations invest in AI-enabled systems, autonomy, advanced digital capabilities and resilient infrastructure, they face liability, cyber, resilience, operational assurance and regulatory oversight challenges that traditional risk management approaches were not designed to address. This is driving demand for specialized risk advice, insurance solutions and resilience capabilities tailored to fast-moving, interconnected exposures.

Willis is responding through a coordinated defense and security sector focus, giving clients access to integrated expertise across risk transfer, risk advisory and analytics, cyber and data security, crisis management, claims, risk engineering, operational resilience, workforce risk, and capital and transaction advisory. By connecting specialists across its global business in 140 countries, Willis helps organizations better understand risk across operations, assets, supply chains and strategic investments.

Alastair Swift, Head of Global Specialties at Willis, said: "The defense and security sector plays an increasingly important role in national resilience, economic stability and technological innovation. Organizations are making critical decisions against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, rapid change and evolving regulation. Our Defense and Security initiative is a long-term commitment to the sector. It brings together the breadth of Willis' expertise and global market access to meet clients’ priorities, challenges and ambitions, helping them better understand, quantify and mitigate their risks and secure the most appropriate insurance and capital solutions available."

Jennifer Caldarella, Global Defense Lead at Willis, said: "The defense and security sector is entering one of the most significant investment cycles in its history. But investment alone does not create capability. Organizations must navigate technology transformation, cyber risk, operational resilience, regulatory complexity and long delivery timelines to realize the full value of those investments. The challenge is not only where to invest, but how to manage the risks that can delay progress or undermine outcomes. Our role is to help clients understand those risks and build the resilience needed to deliver on their strategic objectives, both today and in the years ahead."

Find out more here.
Sources

1. SIPRI, The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-Producing and Military Services Companies, 2024
2. GAO, Industrial Security (GAO-26-107861)
3. SIPRI, Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2025
4. United Nations, The True Cost of Peace
5. GAO, Weapons Systems Annual Assessment 2026
   

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