Welcome back to the BIGA podcast! As promised, we are aiming to post one season per quarter, so you can expect four seasons and four fascinating topics to explore this year!
With a world that seems increasingly volatile, chaotic, and unpredictable there is one phrase that has found increasing traction in security circles: resilience. In the first season of our 2026 podcasts, we want to explore what exactly that means.
Introducing the topic of resilience is Paul Behne, Head of Research at the Defence and Security Institute, a PwC/Strategy&-affiliated think tank that has recently decided to focus on resilience as part of its core mission.
Our conversation started with Paul’s journey into the field of conflict studies before his current work with Strategy&. In the most recent Munich Security Conference, Strategy& published their National Security and Resilience Index which sets out measurable parameters for states to consider in regards to their overall resilience.
Paul helped us to define resilience and what both countries and people need to be looking out for: military readiness, industrial readiness, and civilian readiness. The role of critical infrastructure was explored as well as the perspectives, training, and comprehension of the general public in regards to the crises they may face.
As our conversation came to an end, Paul provided some pearls of wisdom to the audience: keep calm and get involved.
Follow Paul Behne’s work here and the work of Strategy& here. Listen to the full conversation here.