Willis launches global Defense and Security initiative to connect specialist expertise and strengthen national resilience
Key Highlights
- ➤Willis launches global Defense and Security initiative across 140 countries
- ➤Initiative integrates risk transfer, advisory, cyber, resilience and capital expertise
- ➤US defense oversight recorded 815 security violations during fiscal 2025
- ➤Global military expenditure reached nearly US$2.9 trillion in 2025
Expert Statements
Alastair Swift, Head of Global Specialties at Willis
“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
“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.”
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 2024(1). 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 2025(2).
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