Dr Mark Hilborne, Defence Studies Department, King’s College London China’s successful launch today of the first section of China’s new modular space station, called Tianhe (‘Harmony of the Heavens’) has again highlighted the pace of the country’s space programme. As the latest in a string of recent mission successes, it has inevitably led to warnings… Read More China’s space programme: a rising star, a rising challenge

Dr Simon Saradzhyan, Director, Russia Matters Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School Not a day seems to go by now without dire warnings of an imminent Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Such warnings do not come out of the blue: A variety of sources—including government organizations, such as U.S. and… Read More Will Russia invade Ukraine (again)?

Rod Thornton, Defence Studies Department, King’s College London The government in the United Kingdom has recently released two important documents pointing the way forward in terms of its defence, security and foreign policy thinking. These are the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy and Defence in a Competitive Age. But there seems… Read More The Integrated Review and Defence in a Competitive Age: are they missing something? Who deals with major public disorder?

Duraid Jalili, Defence Studies Department and Co-Director of Environmental Security Research Group, King’s College London On 16 March 2021, the UK government released its much-anticipated Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy. The notable foregrounding of climate change and biodiversity loss within the review has already led to a range of responses and… Read More The Integrated Review: A New UK Vision for Climate Security?

Dr Mark Hilborne and Dr Mark Presley, Defence Studies Department The government’s Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, along with its accompanying Defence Command Paper, has made the first significant inclusion of space in such a UK policy document.[1] This is a welcome development, indicating the growing importance of space in reaching… Read More Space gets the recognition it deserves in the Integrated Review

Dr David Jordan, Senior Lecturer & Co-Director of the Freeman Air & Space Institute Since the end of the Second World War, Britain has seen successive governments try to ‘square the circle‘ of attempting to maintain Britain’s status and commitments as a major power but without possessing the military resources to back it up, in… Read More Ambition versus Affordability: Tackling the Defence Review Dilemma

Rod Thornton and Marina Miron, both Defence Studies Department, King’s College London The piece here constitutes the evidence submitted by the two authors to the United Kingdom government’s Integrated Review of defence, security, development and foreign affairs. The actual publication of the final Integrated Review document is expected in the next few weeks. The three… Read More Why UK Defence needs more mass, not less: Evidence to the Integrated Review

Nina Lesikhina and Doug Weir International attention on environmental security has increased markedly during the last decade, especially within the UN’s Security Council, General Assembly and its Environment Assembly. Yet in spite of the increasing number of statements and resolutions that have accepted the importance of the environment throughout the cycle of conflicts, a number… Read More Russia often securitises the environment – but only on its own terms

Zeno Leoni and Duraid Jalili, both Defence Studies Department, King’s College London It remains to be seen whether the most pronounced effects of global warming – the melting of ice caps in the Arctic, for instance – will serve as a wake-up call for ambitious multilateral action or as an opportunity to exploit new resources… Read More Britain’s Arctic Conundrum (Part 2): Great Powers and Naval Gazing

Dr Jasper Humphries, Director of Programmes, The Marjan Centre for the Study of Conflict and the Environment, King’s College London The Armed Forces in the United Kingdom should not be surprised or complain if the public started taking a closer interest in their ‘green’ profile. This is especially so in regard to everyday elements such as… Read More ‘Greening’ the United Kingdom’s Armed Forces (Part Two): some suggestions