Industrial Conversion of Robotics and Automation Firms Toward Defence Output

This report examines a structural change now underway across advanced industrial economies: the rapid conversion of civilian robotics and automation firms into defence-relevant production assets. As NATO and the EU shift toward permanent readiness and sustained industrial capacity, demand is moving from traditional defence primes to a wider technological ecosystem capable of scale, speed and adaptability.

Europe, South Korea and Japan are emerging as parallel laboratories of this transformation, each developing distinct pathways for integrating autonomous systems, automated manufacturing and high-precision robotics into defence output.

This analysis answers: What structural change is driving the conversion of civilian robotics and automation firms into defence-relevant production assets? How are NATO's and the EU's shift toward permanent readiness moving demand from traditional primes to a wider technological ecosystem? How do Europe, South Korea and Japan differ in their pathways for integrating autonomous systems, automated manufacturing and high-precision robotics into defence output? What are the implications for industrial capacity, scale, speed and investment?