Were the Attacks in Paris and Brussels an Intelligence Failure?

Dr. Emmanuel Karagiannis During 2015-2016, ISIS cells and ISIS-inspired lone wolves launched a series of terrorist attacks against European cities. On 13 November 2015, a group of ISIS assailants launched coordinated attacks on civilian targets in central Paris. They killed 132 people and injured 352. It appears that there were three teams of nine gunmen. Three… Read More Were the Attacks in Paris and Brussels an Intelligence Failure?

March 15, 2017March 14, 2017 defenceresearch3 Comments

THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE: SEVENTY YEARS ON

Dr. Geraint Hughes In early March 1947 the US President Harry S. Truman faced a political and diplomatic quandary. His administration had been informed by the Labour government of Clement Attlee that Britain could no longer afford to provide military aid to Greece and Turkey after the end of that month. Both countries had become… Read More THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE: SEVENTY YEARS ON

March 13, 2017March 2, 2017 defenceresearchLeave a comment

ELITE REDUX: POLITICAL SETTLEMENTS AND THE PERPETUATION OF POWER

Dr. Sukanya Podder Several rounds of peace negotiations between the main protagonists – Riek Machar and Salva Kiir – have not yet brought an end to the violence that is tearing the social fabric of South Sudan apart. The cycle of events shows how the many can suffer at the hands of the few. At… Read More ELITE REDUX: POLITICAL SETTLEMENTS AND THE PERPETUATION OF POWER

March 10, 2017March 7, 2017 defenceresearchLeave a comment

The Harmel Report Anniversary

Dr. Tracey German 2017 marks fifty years since the publication of NATO’s seminal Harmel Report, which reasserted the basic principles of the alliance and introduced the concept of cooperative security based on deterrence and dialogue. The Report committed the alliance to a twin-track policy, advocating the need to seek a relaxation of tensions between East… Read More The Harmel Report Anniversary

March 8, 2017March 7, 2017 defenceresearchLeave a comment

When Learning Goes Bad

DR JONATHAN BOFF Jonathan is a Senior Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Birmingham. His first book, Winning and Losing on the Western Front: The British Third Army and the Defeat of Germany in 1918 was published by Cambridge University Press in 2012. An audio recording of a paper detailing some of his new research on… Read More When Learning Goes Bad

March 6, 2017May 4, 2018 defenceresearch2 Comments

Legacies of the Great War: the Experiences of the British and American Legions during the Second World War

ASHLEY GARBER Ashely is a DPhil student in the Globalizing & Localising the Great War programme at the University of Oxford. You can here a recording of the talk associated with this post here. The year 2017 marks the centenary of American involvement in the First World War, but it is unlikely to draw the… Read More Legacies of the Great War: the Experiences of the British and American Legions during the Second World War

March 3, 2017 defenceresearchLeave a comment

Conference Report: Commemorating the Centenary of the First World War

DR AIMÉE FOX-GODDEN & DR DAVID MORGAN-OWEN This post reflects upon an event held on January 12th in the River Room at King’s College London. The symposium featured contributions from Prof Jay Winter, Dr Helen McCartney, Prof Annika Mombauer, Hanna Smyth, Dr Jenny Macleod, Dr Heather Jones, and Dr Catriona Pennell. Recordings of all of… Read More Conference Report: Commemorating the Centenary of the First World War

February 28, 2017February 27, 2017 davidmorganowen1 Comment

The Operational Level as Military Innovation: Past, Present and Future

DR STUART GRIFFIN As Defence-in-Depth once again spends time exploring the concepts of the operational level and operational art, it seems an appropriate time to relate my previous contribution on the subject to the other research strand that I have previously blogged about: military innovation. Though the popular focus of military innovation tends to be… Read More The Operational Level as Military Innovation: Past, Present and Future

February 24, 2017May 4, 2018 defenceresearchLeave a comment

The operational level of war and maritime forces

DR. TIM BENBOW The recurrent debate over whether or not the operational level of war exists can sometimes feel like the land component talking to itself. The vast majority of what is written about the operational level, and operational art, focusses predominantly on land operations. It is rare to find an acknowledgement of the significance… Read More The operational level of war and maritime forces

February 23, 2017May 8, 2018 defenceresearchLeave a comment

Using Military History: Doctrine as an Analytical Tool for Historical Campaigns

DR HUW J. DAVIES James Wolfe was a great advocate of using military history to help inform his understanding of new situations and challenges he faced throughout his career. ‘The more a soldier thinks of the false steps of those that have gone before him, the more likely is he to avoid them’, he wrote… Read More Using Military History: Doctrine as an Analytical Tool for Historical Campaigns

February 21, 2017May 8, 2018 huwjdavies2 Comments

Defence-In-Depth

Research from the Defence Studies Department, King's College London