Transparency International Defence & Security

What Transparency International Defence & Security does

Transparency International Defence & Security (TI-DS) is a London-based non-profit research and advocacy programme that operates as the dedicated defence and security arm of the global Transparency International movement. Established in 2014 and hosted within Transparency International UK, the organisation conducts corruption risk research across national defence institutions, defence companies, and international security operations, and advocates for integrity standards through engagement with governments, armed forces, civil society, and multilateral bodies.

TI-DS's core products are the Government Defence Integrity Index (GDI), which assesses the existence, effectiveness and enforcement of anti-corruption controls across 77 risk areas in national defence institutions; the Defence Companies Index (DCI), which benchmarks the anti-corruption and transparency commitments of 134 of the world's largest defence companies; and the Interventions Anti-Corruption Guidance (IACG) toolkit, designed for military and civilian planners operating in international interventions. The GDI's 2025 edition covers 17 Sub-Saharan African countries, and recent flagship publications include 'Sabotaging Peace: Corruption as a Threat to International Peace and Security'. The technology stack is research-based and human-expert driven, with no proprietary AI/ML components disclosed; competitive advantage rests on methodological rigour, longitudinal data, and brand credibility derived from the parent movement's 100+ national chapters.

TI-DS's business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. All indices, toolkits, and publications are provided free of charge. Revenue comes from institutional donors — including the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Open Society Institute Budapest Foundation, and the United Nations Democracy Fund — and is deployed into in-country programmes, global research, and the Defence Integrity Action Fund (DIAF), which regrants to Transparency International chapters. The go-to-market is community- and event-led: TI-DS works through national chapters (e.g., CISLAC in Nigeria, Ghana Integrity Initiative, I WATCH in Tunisia, Lebanese Transparency Association, CRI-2002 in Mali), maintains institutional relationships with NATO, the UN, the African Union, and ECOWAS, and uses platforms such as the Munich Security Conference and Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development to amplify advocacy.

Name

Transparency International Defence & Security

Legal name

Transparency International Defence & Security

Website

https://ti-defence.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Transparency International Defence & Security is a London-based non-profit that researches and advocates against corruption in the defence and security sectors, producing the Government Defence Integrity Index and Defence Companies Index and working with governments, armed forces, defence companies, and civil society worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defence Governance and Anti-Corruption Research

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (54182), National Security (92811)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Security Sector Reform (SSR) & Defense Institution Building (BPADAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Communications, Transparency & Open Government (BPAIAAAH)

Keywords

• Defence integrity research
• Anti-corruption advocacy
• Defence governance indices
• Corruption risk assessment
• Defence sector transparency

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding/Grants: Receives funding from government donors and foundations to support its programmes and research activities

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Transparency International Defence & Security (TI-DS) researches and produces indices, toolkits, and policy guidance on corruption in the defence and security sector, while running advocacy and capacity-building programmes with governments, armed forces, defence companies, civil society, and international organisations. Its flagship products include the Government Defence Integrity Index (GDI), the Defence Companies Index on Anti-Corruption and Corporate Transparency (DCI), the Interventions Anti-Corruption Guidance toolkit, and the Global Standards Initiative.

Product overview

Transparency International Defence & Security (TI-DS) is a global programme dedicated to tackling corruption in the defence and security sector. The organization operates as a research and advocacy centre offering several interconnected products: the Government Defence Integrity Index (GDI), the world's leading assessment of corruption risk in national defence institutions; the Defence Companies Index on Anti-Corruption and Corporate Transparency (DCI), which assesses transparency and anti-corruption commitments in major defence companies; the Interventions Anti-Corruption Guidance toolkit for military and civilian planners; and the Global Standards Initiative aimed at establishing international norms for defence governance. Together, these products form a comprehensive suite of indices, toolkits, and initiatives designed to measure, advocate for, and implement integrity standards across global defence institutions and the defence industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Government Defence Integrity Index (GDI): World's leading assessment of corruption risk in national defence institutions
• Defence Companies Index (DCI)
• Defence Integrity Action Fund (DIAF)
• Interventions Anti-Corruption Guidance (IACG)

Products and services

• Government Defence Integrity Index (GDI) The world's leading assessment of corruption risk in national defence institutions, assessing the existence, effectiveness and enforcement of institutional and informal controls to manage corruption risk across 77 areas. Used by militaries, governments, civil society, and international organisations.
• Defence Companies Index on Anti-Corruption and Corporate Transparency (DCI) Measures the transparency and quality of ethics and anti-corruption programmes of the world's largest defence companies (134 companies assessed), benchmarking corporate policies and procedures on anti-corruption and transparency.
• Interventions Anti-Corruption Guidance A comprehensive toolkit for military and civilian planners to reduce corruption during international interventions and operations, providing practical guidance and anti-corruption measures.
• Global Standards Initiative An initiative aimed at creating an international political declaration universalising norms around responsible power in the 21st century, including commitments to transparency and accountability in the defence sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• 88 percent of sub-Saharan African countries have anti-corruption frameworks but only 65 percent effectively enforce them (GDI 2025 findings)

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NAKO (Independent Defence Anti-Corruption Committee)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Established in late 2016, NAKO is Ukraine's Independent Defence Anti-Corruption Committee. Transparency International supported its development as an external oversight body independent from existing structures, deeply rooted in civil society activism. NAKO focuses on combating corruption in Ukrainian defence sector, promoting transparency and accountability. As of 2020, NAKO became an independent NGO.
• I WATCH (Transparency International Tunisia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Transparency International's chapter in Tunisia since 2017. Primary aim is promoting improved transparency and encouraging tangible reform within the Tunisian defence sector, by bolstering civil society capacity and supporting democratic civilian oversight.
• Lebanese Transparency AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2018 with Transparency International's chapter in Lebanon. Aims to promote transparency and enhance integrity mechanisms within Lebanese Armed Forces, building capacity of civil society to engage with government and military on defence corruption issues.
• Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CISLAC, Transparency International's chapter in Nigeria, for the ITAI project (Increasing Transparency, Accountability and Integrity in the Nigerian Defence Sector). Works to build culture of integrity within armed forces and strengthen civilian oversight.
• Ghana Integrity InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Transparency International's chapter in Ghana. Project began in March 2019, funded by UK DFID, to strengthen anti-corruption expertise in Ghanaian defence institutions, civil society and parliamentarians.
• CRI-2002 (Mali)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Transparency International's national chapter in Mali. Project aims to reduce risk of corruption in Malian defence sector through strengthening civil society expertise on defence accountability and good governance.
• Transparency International Chapters (Defence Integrity Action Fund)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIAF supports Transparency International chapters and partner organisations worldwide in their efforts to improve defence governance through funding innovative research projects and helping create anti-corruption plans. Has funded 10 chapters so far.
• ECOWAScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks with ECOWAS at regional level to ensure SSR-related policy frameworks put greater emphasis on addressing corruption in West Africa.
• Transparency InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization - TI-DS is a global programme of Transparency International, part of a movement comprised of 100 national Chapters and a Secretariat in Berlin. TI-DS is hosted by Transparency International UK.
• NATOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with NATO on anti-corruption policies and planning procedures. Works with NATO on military exercises, supports military headquarters planning and education, and helps shape national defence-related curricula.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Crisis Group: Independent organisation working to prevent conflicts and shape policy through field-driven research and advocacy; directly comparable to TI-DS in combining country-level fieldwork with high-level policy engagement in fragile and conflict-affected states.
• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI): Independent research institute on peace, security and arms transfers; directly comparable to TI-DS in producing authoritative, data-driven indices and policy research used by governments, militaries and multilateral bodies on defence and security issues.
• International Peace Institute (IPI): Independent think tank focused on peace and security policy serving the UN and member states; directly comparable to TI-DS in producing practitioner-oriented research and convening governments on security sector governance and multilateral policy reform.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Global think tank producing research and policy proposals on international peace and security; directly comparable to TI-DS in publishing analysis that informs defence, security and governance policy in multiple regions, with a similar expert-driven, non-governmental model.
• U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre: Research centre on anti-corruption and donor effectiveness; directly comparable to TI-DS as a research-to-practice organisation producing toolkits, briefs and advisory work for development partners, though without TI-DS's defence-sector specialisation.
• Global Integrity: Independent non-profit producing evidence on government accountability and anti-corruption; directly comparable to TI-DS in building indices and country assessments that benchmark integrity mechanisms, with overlap in methodology and donor base.
• Basel Institute on Governance: Specialised non-profit working on governance, anti-corruption and asset recovery; directly comparable to TI-DS in producing practitioner tools and indices used by governments and international organisations, though with broader public- and private-sector scope.

Emerging players

• Open Government Partnership: Multistakeholder initiative promoting government transparency and accountability across member countries; partially comparable to TI-DS in the transparency and open-government space, but driven by government commitments rather than independent research.

Broad incumbents

• Transparency International: Parent movement and broader anti-corruption NGO covering all sectors; directly comparable as the umbrella body hosting TI-DS, with shared mission, brand and chapter network, but a much wider portfolio beyond defence and security.
• OECD Anti-Corruption Division: Intergovernmental body setting anti-corruption standards (including for defence procurement via the Working Group on Bribery); comparable as a producer of anti-corruption standards that TI-DS influences, but as an official body with member-state authority rather than a civil society actor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/TI_Defence

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Transparency International Defence & Security