ICE and InstRE joint professional meeting 2026: Rise of the machines – how AI and uncrewed systems are redrawing the engineering and defence sectors

David Porter

David Porter is director of engineering with the Department for Infrastructure, which is Northern Ireland’s highways authority. In this role, he is also the chief highways engineer and head of the civil engineering profession in the Northern Ireland civil service.

Porter is responsible for the development of the department’s professional and technical staff, engineering policies and standards, and health and safety. He also leads on procurement and the internal consultancy.

Previously, he was chief executive of the Rivers Agency, Northern Ireland’s flood defence and drainage authority.

Porter has served on the ICE Council three times, twice as the Northern Ireland representative and once as a general member. He is a trustee who, until recently, held the learning society portfolio. He has also served on several institution committees and panels.

A fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering, Porter was awarded the Poskitt Medal by ICE Northern Ireland in 2017 and the President’s Award by Engineers Ireland in 2018.

Major General Andy Sturrock

Maj Gen Andy Sturrock was commissioned into the Corps of Royal Engineers in 1996 after reading manufacturing engineering at the University of Cambridge. He has held a range of command and staff appointments, serving on operations and exercises in Kenya, Northern Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iraq, and contributed to both the 2010 and 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Reviews. 

Later, he moved to UK Strategic Command to oversee infrastructure delivery across the UK and overseas estate. Since July 2023 he has been the Defence Infrastructure Organisation’s director of strategy and plans, leading work on strategy, planning, digital, asset management and sustainability. He was elected InstRE President in January 2026.

Major Paul Aspey RE

 
Commissioned into the Royal Engineers in May 2010, Maj Paul Aspey is currently part of the littoral strike project team working on autonomy, uncrewed systems and commando engineering. He has completed two joint force assignments in support of Ukraine, initially in an operations role during the 2022 invasion and, more recently, providing capability support to Ukraine’s armed forces.

Maj Aspey has also deployed on operations in Afghanistan, the Middle East and eastern Europe, and has commanded 59 Commando Squadron. Staff appointments have included being chief of staff for 29 Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search Group, and intelligence roles in 77th Brigade and 1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade.

Lt Col Jason Buchanan RE

Lt Col Jason Buchanan commissioned into the Corps of Royal Engineers in 2005 after completing a Master’s in civil engineering at the University of Nottingham. Early appointments included roles in explosive ordnance disposal, light-role commando engineering and deconstruction tasks in Northern Ireland. Other early operational tours included three deployments to Afghanistan between 2006 and 2012.

Following promotion to Major he served as military assistant to General Officer Commanding Regional Command, before returning to 26 Engineer Regiment as Officer Commanding 33 Armoured Engineer Squadron. He then became a company commander and chief instructor at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

Promotion to Lt Col in 2019 was followed by attendance of the Advance Command and Staff Course, where he remained as chief of staff of the army division. He commanded 26 Engineer Regiment from May 2023 to December 2025, before moving to his current post in HQ 8 Engineer Brigade. 

Miranda Sharp

Miranda Sharp works with people to solve data problems and focuses on creating and capturing sustainable value from the sharing of data. She is part of the Department for Transport College of Experts, the Mayor of London’s Infrastructure Advisory Panel, a trustee to the Centre for Cities think tank and advises clients on financially resilient and well-governed ways of sharing data.  

She has also acted as a non-executive director at the Transport Research Laboratory, secondee to Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on the value of data policy, and worked with the National Digital Twin programme, Ordnance Survey and Royal Mail on data as infrastructure.

Major Jack Bowen RE

Commissioned in 2016, Maj Jack Bowen commanded a troop in 4 Field Squadron, 21 Engineer Regiment, deploying to South Sudan. Later, he served as a battlegroup engineer with 52 Armoured Engineer Squadron, 22 Engineer Regiment, deploying to Canada and Estonia, as well as for UK resilience duties.

Subsequently, he served as adjutant of 3 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment and as a platoon commander instructor at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Following Staff College, he assigned to HQ 25 (Close Support) Engineer Group, supporting 3rd (UK) Division. Major Bowen is due to take command of 33 Armoured Engineer Squadron, 26 Engineer Regiment, in July 2026.