Four words on the screen, behind Thibault Normand, a partner at Opera International. The second one is ‘our business’.

On 6 and 7 September, Thibault was in Rēzekne, Latvia, a few kilometres from the eastern border of NATO and the European Union. Two days: the Latvian Armed Forces’ Industry Day, followed by the Latvian Dual-Use Export Forum. Nearly 70 military and dual-use products were showcased, with over 170 participants and more than 180 business meetings organised on site.

He gave a presentation there on entering international defence supply chains, then chaired a round-table discussion bringing together BAE Systems, Dedrone by Axon, RAW-tech.lv and the Latvian Ministry of Economy.

His argument: “Latvia will not match Germany or France in terms of industrial output, nor should it seek to do so. However, it can become indispensable to certain links in the European value chain.”

And this observation holds true far beyond the Baltic region: defence exports do not materialise simply because a company books a stand at a prestigious trade fair. They begin with conversations, with meetings between prime contractors and integrators, and with technology demonstrations. And, in defence more than anywhere else, by building a relationship of trust.

In other words: a supply chain is not established through a sales plan. It is established by men and women who know the contracting authorities, who know how to pass audits, and who are well-versed in export controls. This is what leads us to cover this sector.

Several French colleagues had made the trip and returned impressed by certain Latvian technologies. There is something here that French manufacturers should look at closely. Thibault’s full report is in the comments.