Defence Studies

@dsdkings.bsky.social

The Defence Studies Department at King's College London. World-leading research on #war & #conflict | Contact: comms-soss@kcl.ac.uk Website: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/dsd

📜 2025 Sir Michael Howard Annual Lecture - Resistance: The Underground War in Europe, 1939-1945 📅 03 Dec | 📍Bush House Dr Halik Kochanski will explain how and why all across Nazi-occupied Europe some people decided to resist the Third Reich. 🎟️ RSVP: ow.ly/Bbne50X5C5l

Dr Zeno Leoni says Trump’s idea to “un-unite” Russia and China misreads today’s geopolitics. Unlike the Cold War, Russia and China now share a stable partnership. The US should focus on strengthening alliances and managing competition with China. 🔗Read: bit.ly/3HCwaka

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Dr Ahron Bregman highlights the widening rifts between key social and political groups could escalate dangerously. “Tensions within Israeli society are so high that the situation could easily deteriorate into an open civil war,” he says. 🔗Read more: bit.ly/4mEwy0I

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Join us for a seminar exploring the evolution of cyber operations, the use of plausible deniability, and China’s efforts to influence global cyber narratives. 📅3 Oct | 🕘16:00 |📍Strand Campus 🛡️Secure your spot now: bit.ly/4mRb3cv @monicakello.bsky.social #CyberSecurity #CyberCrime

Ransomware and Beyond: Exploring Strategic Objectives of Chinese Cyber Operations

This seminar explores the Chinese Communist Party's ties to criminal networks and their use of cybercrime tactics like ransomware.

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What if close intelligence allies see the world differently? “Abandoning a close partner in an existential conflict left NATO allies, including the UK, wondering whether Washington viewed any standing commitments as firm.” - Prof David Gioe, a former US intelligence officer 🔗Read: bit.ly/3JdPsNc

UK spy chiefs spooked as Trump strains the special relati...

When the US president doesn’t accept intelligence he doesn’t like, where does that leave the UK?

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Can battlefield gains shape peace talks? Putin heads to #Alaska for a summit with Trump amid Russian advances in eastern Ukraine. “Putin has much stronger cards to play than his opponents... The Russian army is on the offensive & they are dictating the rules.” - Dr Marina Miron. 🔗 bit.ly/47vfJjY

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General Anthony Cotton, Commander of the United States Strategic Command, spoke at King’s on the role of strategic deterrence, nuclear security & global collaboration in today’s complex threat landscape. He stressed the need to develop adaptable, innovative future leaders. 🔗Read: bit.ly/45ttFbG

Inspiring the next generation of strategic deterrence thinkers at King's

The Commander of the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) - General Anthony Cotton - emphasised the importance of the next generation in meeting future global security challenges during a rece...

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What challenges face a Ukraine peace deal? The UK military may face difficulties committing troops without impacting #NATO duties, while Dr Marina Miron notes Russia is unlikely to accept Western peacekeepers, given its strong leverage in negotiations. Read more: bit.ly/45AjNNq

UK military 'too stretched' to provide troops under Ukraine peace deal

Armed forces may have to be pulled off existing commitments in order to be deployed should Trump manage to strike a peace deal for Ukraine, former MoD official warns

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💡Can high-altitude intelligence balloons boost the UK's national security? With the ability to fly above most military aircraft, uncrewed balloons offer a low-cost surveillance and communications capability, alternative to traditional solutions. Read👇 www.gov.uk/government/n...

UK high-altitude research and intelligence balloon soars to new heights

The UK has successfully trialed high-altitude balloons which can conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

gov.uk

How should the UK respond to the growing threat of space conflict? FASI's @nuclearbalm.bsky.social explains "The use of dual-use civilian space systems further complicates escalation, as interference may unintentionally draw private actors into conflict." Read 👇 inews.co.uk/news/world/r...

Russia and China could kick off war in space - here's how Britain can fight back

Maj-Gen Paul Tedman, the head of UK Space Command, says the threat of war in space is 'here, now' - and growing

inews.co.uk

Can Syria’s new government survive without legitimacy or control? In this article Dr Rob Geist Pinfold, examines how recent violence in Sweida reveals the risks of state failure if Damascus can’t build capacity and trust. 👉 Explore the article here: mecouncil.org/blog_posts/h...

How Syria's New Government Risks Undermining Itself

Syria’s caretaker government is struggling to contain violence in Sweida and Latakia, exposing cracks in authority, legitimacy, and national unity.

mecouncil.org

Does moving nuclear submarines closer to Russia make America safer — or more vulnerable? Prof Michael Clarke, Visiting Professor in the School of Security Studies, examines Trump’s claim and why it makes no strategic sense. 👉 Explore the article here: www.thetimes.com/us/american-...

Why did Trump move his best nuclear deterrent? Not for strategic gain

The US president says he has deployed submarines closer to Russia — but this would only make the boats more vulnerable to attack

thetimes.com