It has been announced that an Arms Fair under the title of ‘Defence Security Resilience Cymru’ is to be held at the International Conference Centre Wales, Newport on 3-4 September 2026.
Cymdeithas y Cymod (Fellowship of Reconciliation) is completely opposed to the event, and regrets that Wales is home to an event that promotes the ability to kill on an industrial scale. This abomination should be cancelled immediately. We believe this is the wish of the entire Peace Movement in Cymru.
Wales is undoubtedly at a moral and economic crossroads.
There is a new Government in the Senedd led by Plaid Cymru, with an opportunity to change direction from a War Economy towards a Sustainable Economy. This event, which was supported in the first place by the Welsh Labour Government, suggests that as a country we want to continue to be obedient little servants to the killing industry. This is not a defence industry, but an attack industry.
Do we want a country that is serious about creating a Nation of Peace? Or do we want to continue to support the Military Industrial Complex as the previous Welsh Government did? What we know so far does not bode well for a major change of direction from the new Government.
There are absolutely fundamental questions facing the Welsh Government, and all members of the Party, about what kind of Cymru they want us to be. Is the legacy of Gwynfor Evans, one of the great Peacemakers of Wales, to be forgotten? Isn’t it hypocritical to readily condemn wars abroad, while promoting the means of enabling those wars?
Cymdeithas y Cymod and many other organizations opposed the 2018 Arms Fair in Cardiff. Then, the Fair was condemned by Leanne Wood, leader of Plaid Cymru at the time, and a number of Plaid Cymru Senedd Members have also condemned such events since.
We regret that our Government is listed as one of the sponsors of this Arms Fair. According to reports, Adam Price, Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, was due to address the event. We now understand that this is incorrect, and that he has declined an invitation to speak.
However, enough time has passed since the election for the Government to make a decision to do everything possible to stop their support for the Arms Fair. After all, one of the co-organisers, aside from the Government, is General Dynamics Land Systems. This is a subsidiary of General Dynamics – which is linked to the carnage in Gaza which the Party has condemned. Another co-organiser is ADS Group, which is a trade body representing arms companies. The other co-organiser is Business in Focus, and its Chief Executive says he welcomes the opportunity to be part of the ‘national’ effort (I wonder which ‘nation’ is meant?), including commercial opportunities for the Wales Defence and Security Cluster.
It does not bode well when we understand that Adam Price went to the recent Farnborough Airshow; a show run by a company owned by ADS Group. We understand that Mr Price had discussions with Lee Bruce, a senior executive in the ADS Group. According to Mr Bruce he and Mr Price discussed: “continued collaboration between the Welsh Government, industry and ADS”, including on the Defence Growth Deal for Wales, which is worth £50 million. The intention of the Deal is to expand the arms industry in Wales, including drones, and enable smaller companies to take advantage of opportunities in the industry.
The fact that the exhibitors at the Show include arms companies from Israel, namely Elbit Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, means that Mr Price’s presence is even less acceptable.
A Government spokesman’s response to Mr Price’s presence in Farnborough was as follows:
“We will continue to engage with the aerospace, defence, security and national resilience sectors to support the thousands of high-tech, well paid jobs in Wales, while promoting respect for human rights and international law. An ethical defence framework is being developed, informed by discussions with Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive counterparts, and will guide future engagement with the sector.”
Hard to believe that we are expected to accept such a statement which effectively says:
“Jobs in the arms industry count more than any other consideration. We can hide behind human rights and international law, although both have now lost much of their meaning.”
Wouldn’t it be much better for the Welsh Government to look for better ways to create jobs than in the killing industry? Shouldn’t we look for ways to demilitarize Wales, instead of accepting that there are around 50 Ministry of Defence sites in our country? Shouldn’t we ask why the theft of Epynt’s land still scars us? That Aberporth and Llanbedr are hotbeds of testing with military drones? That RAF pilots at Valley are being trained by Elbit Systems? And that the economic dependence on this lethal industry creates a warmongering climate, and a fear of raising a voice in opposition?
Why don’t we have a real discussion on the excellent proposals of CND Cymru – “Beyond the War Economy” which highlights the possibilities. The skills of workers in the arms industry can be used for good – and of course create new jobs. Think about green industries, about protecting habitats and thereby preventing floods and reducing the risk of fires.
After all, what is the biggest threat we face, but that of climate change? And that wars create serious carbon emissions, not to mention environmental destruction. Consider also the economic cost of war, for instance the tens of thousands of jobs likely to be lost in Britain due to the increase in energy prices in wake of the war in Iran.
Should we not consider that it is a deliberate policy of the British State to create a War Economy, which benefits only a select minority? Creating an Economy of Peace should be a deliberate policy for the Welsh Government. There is ample evidence that every pound of public investment creates fewer jobs in the military sector than in other sectors.
The actions of the Welsh Government will show us who and what will have priority.
In essence, continuing to support and promote the arms industry and militarism would show that the Welsh Government doesn’t really want to plough its own furrow. This is an opportunity to show that our Cymru rejects the system that has brought us to the brink of extinction.
We believe that Mererid Hopwood spoke for us as Cymry when she said from the Maen Llog at Eisteddfod y Garreg Las:
“Everywhere, there is talk of a lack of money to lift children out of poverty, to take care of the elderly, to give education and an opportunity to experience the arts, to the book and music industry, and the little shoe is squeezing, squeezing.
“And yet, there is money to feed the military regime. Because that is common sense – to arm ourselves to the point of poverty to keep us safe.
“What are we in favour of? Feeding the military machine or reinforcing the beauty of a region: earth and people peacefully coexisting? I’m just asking.”
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This article was first published in Cymraeg on Cymdeithas y Cymod’s website. For background reading see Greg Davies’ article “Confronting the Defence Industry in Wales“.