Corporate report

Exploration Division

Updated 29 November 2023

Exploration Division seeks to discover and exploit the science that no one has done before.

The pace of technological change requires the UK to constantly adapt, experiment and take risks, in order to preserve the UK’s strategic advantage. Dstl’s Exploration Division focuses on finding defence and security solutions with that edge – whether in technology, concepts or strategies – then proving that they work and showing others how to exploit them.

We work to understand advances in science and technology wherever they occur, and test to see what they may mean for defence and security – either in using the new development ourselves, or being affected by it.

Our people build the evidence-base for how defence can operate now and into the future, and help senior people with decision-making.

We help bring problems to life in different ways, from running wargames in which we find out what the right mix of forces will be for the next 10 or more years, to devising and testing approaches to understand how we can better command forces in the field.

We develop and apply the science around influencing human behaviour, showing how the UK can achieve strategic, operational and tactical influence through words, images and actions.

Exploration Division has specialist groups that each take the lead on a specific aspect of our work.

Strategic and Operational Analysis

The Strategic and  Operational Analysis group identifies, understands, structures and assesses complex defence and security problems using our systems skills, soft operational research (OR) and strategic analysis expertise. We develop pathways to promote change, influence decisions and guide problem owners on implementation for the future.

The group is responsible for:

• strategic analysis (providing evidence-based expertise and analytical support on strategy and policy across Dstl, MOD and wider government)
• policy and strategy analysis (providing independent research, analysis and advice to enable high-level, senior decision-makers, primarily in MOD Head Office, concerning defence policy and strategy)
• systems thinking and consultancy (applying systems thinking, technical consultancy and facilitation techniques to complex problems across defence and security)
• co-ordination and stewardship of the Support to Operations (S2O) OR capability for Exploration Division

Behavioural and Social Science

The group identifies, champions and applies multidisciplinary behavioural and social science expertise supporting our stakeholders to understand, predict and influence behaviour of individuals and groups.

The group focuses on:

• human influence, applying social science to UK defence and security and wider government in order to understand, predict and influence human behaviour (for example, Information Activities and Outreach, and Human Interaction)
• behavioural research, applying behavioural science to UK defence and security and wider government in order to enhance understanding of human relationships (for example, Security Social Science and Criminology)
• social and cultural research, providing UK defence and security and wider government with a deep understanding of cultural and environmental influences and practices (for example, Applied Linguistics, Anthropology and Ethics)

Future Concepts Evaluation

The Future Concepts Evaluation Group develops and applies operational research methods (including wargaming, modelling and simulation) to assess defence and security policies, strategies, concepts and force structures.

We evaluate the implications of employing generation-after-next science and technology on the future force. We also identify where new concepts may have benefit and where promotion and adoption of transformative ideas should be pursued further.

The group focuses on:

• strategic gaming and historical analysis (developing and applying wargaming, operational research approaches and historical analysis techniques to conduct strategic and policy level assessment of options and concepts)
• force structure analysis (providing cost analysis, and conducting force structure level assessment using modelling, wargaming and other operational research approaches)
• campaign development and analysis (developing scenarios for campaign context, carrying out campaign-level assessment and maintaining campaign models)
• force effectiveness wargaming and simulation (conducting operational-level assessment of options and concepts using wargaming and simulation techniques)
• tactical wargaming and simulation (conducting tactical level assessment of options and concepts using wargaming and simulation)
• wargaming advice, research and development

Transformative Techniques and Technologies

The Transformative Techniques and Technologies group leads activity relating to novel strategies, concepts, systems and technologies through the use of transformative tools, techniques and ways of working. We use software development, data science and analytics, transformative technologies and the human-digital environments to get the most out of them.

This group works on:

• data science and analytics (the focus for the division’s data science and analytics technical expertise)
• data exploitation (championing the exploitation of data science and analytics across defence and security)
• data science enablement (facilitating the adoption of data science and analytics through data engineering and skills development)
• software engineering and model development
• future training (research into potential future transformative technologies and approaches for training, mission rehearsal and education)
• novel simulation for training (research into new approaches to simulation for training and other applications such as mission rehearsal and wargaming)

INSPACE

Futures and Innovation

The Futures and Innovation Group is the hub for science and technology futures and incubator expertise. Our goals are to:

• understand the future context, enabling defence and security to meet over-the-horizon challenges and opportunities
• imagine and develop transformative technologies, concepts and systems
• identify, assess and provide advice on emerging trends, capabilities and technologies

This is achieved by:

• insights (identifying, assessing and advising on emerging capabilities and technologies, applying systems approaches, horizon scanning and technology roadmapping, and knowledge management for futures)
• transformative concepts and systems (developing understanding of the long-term future context and operating environment, the impact of generation after next technologies, and imagining and developing transformative concepts and systems)
• research and concepts promotion (a centre for futures engagement and coherence that explores and promotes opportunities, concepts and capabilities to shape defence and security)
• futures capability development (developing and identifies new approaches to futures analysis, promoting their use to the wider futures community, and embedding the use of futures in defence and security)

Project Delivery

The Project Delivery Group provides project and programme professionals as well as specialist roles such as finance, commercial and assurance, to support the delivery of Exploration division’s innovative work. We offer individually tailored career development and training, with opportunities for expanding skills and experience beyond your role.

Careers at Dstl

Working within the Exploration Division at Dstl is a unique opportunity to look beyond the here and now and make a difference to the future of the UK’s defence and security. For an outstanding variety of experiences and opportunities, immense satisfaction in your role and support to grow and develop, search all our available roles and sign up for new job alerts.

We do incredible work and it’s great to be part of it. No two days are the same and every day is a learning day. Highlights of working at Dstl are the people, our values, diversity and inclusion and of course flexible working. The sky is the limit if you are driven to succeed and the variety of work across Dstl is second to none.

Project manager, Exploration division

Find out more about Dstl and the benefits of working for us.