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Defence Research Network

Interested in all things defence? Take a peek inside our

Monthly Members' Newsletter

For new friends, welcome! We are an interdisciplinary network of Masters, PhD and Early Career Researchers focused on defence, security and military topics concerning policy, strategy, history, culture and society. We hope you find our network interesting, exciting, informative, and supportive.

For old friends, thanks for your continued involvement. It is always worth remembering that we would be nothing without you! At the end of this July, we are glad to share thoughts and discussions about 'Military Transformation'. We have some reflections on being out and about at face-to-face conferences, an update about our writing group and seminar series, as well as a bunch of new podcasts to listen to. 

Scroll down to get up to date with the news, opinions, events and opportunities from our members...
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Welcome to the Defence Research Network Newsletter!


'Military transformation' is a theme many of you are working on and even if it is not a term you directly identify with through your work, you would probably be hard pressed not to find an aspect of 'military transformation' that didn't relate to your research in some way. Perhaps 'military transformation' takes the form of changes in policy impacting on work with veterans and families or maybe it is about how militaries have learnt lessons and adapted through history, or even the applicability of 'military transformation' to other security institutions. However your path crosses with this theme you should find plenty of diverse material to stimulate thought and conversation in the rest of the newsletter. We were delighted to see a panel on the theme convened by our committee member, Lucie Pebay at the recent British International Studies Association conference and populated with participants drawn from an earlier DRN workshop. It is great to continue that conversation here on our newsletter - we hope you enjoy the read!

Moving to our committee, our super Co-Chair Jemma Humphries will be heading off to America on the road trip of a lifetime with her husband from October and will be stepping back from the DRN (although she has promised to keep us posted on her travels!). Lucy Wray has kindly agreed to step up to Co-Chair with Hannah West and we will be in a period of transition for the next couple of months as we work together as a three and Jemma hands over to Lucy. We are really grateful for all Jemma's hard work in moving the DRN forward, supporting the committee and her dedication to the website, thank you and good luck for your travels.

And finally, we will be having a break in August and we really hope that you will be able to as well. We recognise the important of breaking with routine, stepping back and putting our feed up for a bit so that we can come back refreshed in September. We hope that you will be doing the same at some point and wish you all a well deserved break. There will be no theme for August and no twitter hour or newsletter but we will be raring to go come September and look forward to engaging with you all then. Have a lovely summer!

Thank you all for your ongoing support and do talk to us about anything you need help with.

Hannah West, Jemma Humphries and Lucy Wray
Co-Chairs of the Defence Research Network

What we've been up to
Edited by Tamiris Santos, Veronika Poniscjakova, Lucy Robinson & Sally Coulthard
Our network keeps growing

Our dear committee member Rob Bloomfield has been busy lately updating info about the latest committee changes on our website. Get to know more about us and our current research areas by clicking on the image next.
 

DRN ‘Paths to and from a PhD’ series: Beyond Your PhD Journey
Check some words from the event organiser, Dr Veronika Poniscjakova


'This event focused on career advice to prospective and current PhD students. Guy Townsin, a careers manager from the University of Portsmouth’s Careers and Employability Service, gave us a great overview of options for PhD graduates, and the skills PhD students should develop whilst they are completing their doctorate. We then heard from Professor Peter Lee, also from the University of Portsmouth, who has got experience from both inside and outcome academia. Dr Lee built on Guy’s presentation and gave us some fantastic advice on what PhD students should be doing to land a job. Lastly, I focused on the teaching route in academia, including what it entails and what skills and experience PhD students should have'.

Please tag us on Twitter if you have any further questions about PhD careers!


If you missed it, don't worry. The video is available on our website and you can watch it by clicking on the image below!


Committee members Lucy Robinson & Shannon Hill visited the exhibition 'Children and Military Lives: Stories of Adventure, Family and Exile" at the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum. Below, Lucy shares her reflections.

'Nestled in the gardens of The Oxfordshire Museum is the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum; a treasure of a small museum! Shannon and I visited during a July weekend to see the 'Children and Military Lives: Stories of Adventure, Family and Exile' exhibition. The exhibition explores the experiences of service children alongside children who have been impacted by conflict - both past and present. The latter includes some very poignant and moving photographs and children's artwork, alongside a range of material culture.

Within the exhibition is a collaborate endeavour with the service children's charity, Little Troopers. This part of the exhibition gives visitors the opportunity to engage with stories and experiences of current service children. The topics covered include children's experiences of being part of a military family, moving houses and schools and their experiences of deployment. Particularly powerful is the clear involvement of service children in the exhibition. Their words and images make up the bulk of the exhibition which also includes personal artefacts such as care packages and 'blueys' (special letters used to keep in touch with deployed family members).

The exhibition also has plenty of interactive elements designed for younger visitors. We particularly liked the opportunity for children to engage with a re-creation of a young service children's new bedroom in quarters. Given Shannon and I's own service backgrounds and research interests in service children, we were delighted to see this engaging exhibition about and, importantly, with the involvement of service children today. If you're in the area, we thoroughly recommend making a visit to the museum! 
Service children can get free admission to the exhibition with a parent showing a valid MOD90'.
For further info, visit the link by clicking on the image below.
 

Defence Gardens Scheme founded by committee member Sally Coulthard MBE has now expanded to 4 gardens nationwide

The Defence Gardens Scheme (DGS) is a programme dedicated to delivering Nature-Based Therapy for veterans or individuals with a planned discharge date from the Armed Forces, as well as for police and security services personnel too. It aims to support these audiences to cope with their transition, addressing their move on after serving.

As the network grows, so does the requirement for nature-based therapy practitioners who really understand the military mindset and, in particular, the emotional pressures of transition and a sense of loss of identity. To fill this gap, DGS is delighted to have commissioned Nick Wood, MSc FHEA from York St. John University, to deliver the The Military Human: Understanding Military Culture and Transition CPD training for all DGS delivery teams in September.

If you'd like to know more about DGS, visit their website by clicking on the image below.

DRN Monthly Writing Group
Edited by Lucy Wray

Here is our friendly reminder for anyone who is stuck with writing:
DRN Monthly Writing Group will take place again in August - stay tuned!

We had a few people registered for our last meeting on June 22nd, but the more, the merrier! No need to carry this burden alone. Join us at Google Meet, and let's navigate this task together! 

The writing group is based around the principles of Murry and Newton (2009) and will take place online. The purpose is to create a community of writers (Grant, 2006) and a space in which you can focus on your writing.

The format for the group is as follows:
Duration is 2 hours:

1. 15 min welcome and SMART goal setting

2. 90 minutes of focused writing

3. 15 min review of goals i.e. have you achieved your writing goal aim.

You will be invited to turn off all of your distractions during this time, such as email and mobile phones. You will also be asked to turn off your microphone. A member of the DRN will manage the timings of the group and notify you when it is time to finish your writing.

The next writing group will take place on the 3rd of August. This will be an evening writing group from 1900-2100 GMT. If you are unable to make the start of the group, please feel free to join and write your goal in the chat.

If interested in participating, please register via Eventbrite and a link will be emailed out to you closer to the time.

Researcher Spotlight
Edited by Tamiris Santos

It is always a delight to share with you the profiles of early career researchers from our community. As usual, we aim to focus our researcher spotlight section on anyone (civilian or military) who is currently studying for a Master's or PhD or who has recently completed one. So do get in touch and let us know about you and your work!


Dr Louise Claire
PhD in History at the University of Manchester

In 2021, she was awarded my History Ph.D by The University of Manchester, with the thesis title: ‘Government, Media, and Culture: International Comparisons in the Falklands/Malvinas War.’ Broadly speaking, the thesis examines the roles played by cultural and media influences in Britain, Argentina, and the United States in the run up to, during, and after the conflict. Dr. Louise has been working on her thesis for publication, Politics, Propaganda, and the Press: International Reactions to the Falkland/Malvinas Conflict (London: Routledge, forthcoming in 2022).

In April 2019, with generous funding from the British Commission for Military History, Artsmethods, and the Royal Historical Society, she co-organised a conference entitled: "Falklands/Malvinas: War, Media, and Society—History and Legacy" at the University of Manchester. The conference attracted delegates and presenters from the Falkland Islands Government and veterans, journalists, experienced scholars, early-career researchers, and postgraduates from Buenos Aires to Texas. The key note speakers were Commodore Michael Clapp, Major General Julian Thompson, and Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman.

In the fortieth anniversary year of the Falklands/Malvinas Conflict, Dr Louise has written articles for The University of Manchester’s Manchester Historian and was interviewed by BBC Radio Manchester on 2nd April 2022 as part of a commemorative programme for the 1982 conflict. Additionally, she wrote the speeches for a commemorative service held in Rhyl by the Royal British Legion in June 2022.

Feel free to reach out to Dr Louise via Twitter and email to discuss her research and related themes!

Twitter: @DrLouiseClare1
E-mail: louise.clare@manchester.ac.uk 
Military Transformation 
Military transformation is a broad concept. As an aim, it envisages a profound military change, encompassing culture, doctrine, organisational learning, and innovation. As a process itself, it varies greatly, particularly depending on the region in which it occurs. Be it an aim or a process, military transformation is related to increasing effectiveness through a wide range of initiatives. We are proud to share with you bits of the research from our network community, including thoughtful recommendations regarding this instigating theme, such as a special reading list, podcasts and much more. Check them out next!
Military Transformation & Innovation Researchers 
Edited by Tamiris Santos

It always feels instigating to be part of a growing community, sharing common research interests. We are glad to share with you our researchers' showcase, bringing some bits of their research on military transformation and innovation.


Cristina Fontanelli 
PhD candidate in Security and Strategic Studies
at the University of the Studies of Genoa
LinkedIn: Cristina Fontanelli
Twitter: @Cri_Fontanelli

What am I currently working on?
My research project relates to the Security Studies research field and to the sub-disciplines of military adaptation and innovation. The overarching theme of my dissertation deals with the transformation process of military organizations over time, which remains ill understood. And yet, understanding when national armed forces engage in structural change and how fast they tranform, is key for civil and military practitioners, as well as policymakers, to gauge the readiness of national armed forces and bolster joint military effectiveness. To this end, I am developing an original theoretical framework that aims at understanding the variation in the timing of adoption of a given military innovation across militaries and diverse operational types. The framework is applied to analyze and elucidate the diffusion dynamics of a disruptive military innovation so far neglected by the scholarship in Security Studies—all-female military units (AFMUs). By focusing on them I hope to enhance debate on the force structure dimension, which has not been thoroughly facilitated to its fullest possibilities. In a more recent article, I am investigating how the Italian Armed Forces have embarked upon two distinct processes of military transformation by analyzing their ability to both adapt and innovate through AFMUs in Afghanistan and in Lebanon.

My first contact with the theme
At the beginning pf my PhD in 2021, I came across Aimeé Fox’s book—Learning to Fight: Military Innovation and Change in the British Army, 1914-1918. I was so impressed by her capacity to show how learning innovation during the Great War was neither top-down nor bottom-up—as traditionally suggested—but rather multifaceted and widespread. This book is an excellent reading for those interested in military history and in better understanding the background and the processes that were developed during earlier wars that helped further transformation within the British Army. It is also an excellent choice for those interested in learning more about the culture of innovation in the organization. The author in fact sophisticatedly explains how new ideas were developed and disseminated and how the British Army learned from mistakes over the course of the Great War and transformed to overcome them.

What book would I recommend and why?
A must read for anyone who wants to get updated with the latest news in the military transformation subfield is David Barno and Nora Bensahel’s book Adaptation under fire: how militaries change in wartime (2020). The manuscript first opens with an excellent review of the existing literature on military adaptation, that provides the reader with a strong foundation on the topic. It then makes a strong effort to provide concrete examples of “adaptation under fire’’. The authors evaluate transformation through the framework of doctrine, technology, and leadership—which they argue to be the three most critical components of military change—and rely on modern and detailed case studies to illustrate how militaries have successfully adapted in past wars.

Suggested article readings
Over the past decades, military transformation has been widely recognised as a vibrant sub-discipline of the field of Security Studies, receiving an enormous amount of sustained attention which is increasing day after day. Amongst the most relevant papers centring on the transformative processes of military organizations, I strongly recommend spending some time on these articles:
  • Robert T. Foley, Stuart Griffin, and Helen McCartney’s ‘Transformation in Contact: Learning the Lessons of Modern War’ (2011);
  • Fabrizio Coticchia and Francesco Niccolò Moro ‘‘Transforming the Italian Armed Forces’’ (2014);
  • Sergio Catignani ‘‘Coping with Knowledge: Organizational Learning in the British Army?’’ (2014);
  • Tom Dyson ‘‘A revolution in military learning? Cross-functional teams and knowledge transformation by lessons-learned processes’’ (2020)
Enjoy your readings!

Marco Túlio D. Freitas
Military Sciences PhD Student at the
Brazilian Army Advanced and Command Staff College (ECEME), Brazil 
LinkedIn: Marco Freitas
Twitter: @marco_tuliodf


What am I currently working on? 
I am Historian and a Military Sciences PhD student at the Brazilian Army Advanced and Command Staff College, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I started my PhD last year, and my research is about the impact of military modernisation in Israel following the deployment of the Iron Dome/Arrow missile defence system, including the system's role in the country's dissuasion capability. I guess that the biggest challenge regarding my research is how to get information from the Israeli military organisations due to the technological secret status and strategic importance of this vector. Compared to that, learning Hebrew was not so difficult. I am currently preparing for my middle-term exam (a pre-viva examination that takes place in every PhD programme in Brazil). 


My first contact with this theme
My first contact with the theme was with the work of Chad C. Serena's on
'A Revolution in Military Adaptation: The US Army in the Iraq War'. I was very impressed by the idea of renewing military organisations while conflicts were still going on.


Inspirational readings and researchers
The book I would recommend to those who are eager to study this topic and that has captured my attention is written by Dimitri Adamsky. It is entitled '
The Culture of Military Innovation: the Impact of Cultural Factors on the Revolution in Military Affairs in Russia, the US, and Israel'. This book is not only about military transformation; it has inspired my work as I have been an enthusiastic reader of Adamsky and also of Demchak for some time.

Additionally, one scholar I have been following and also had the opportunity to speak to is Tamir Libel, and I can tell you that he is truly an inspiration on such a complex subject.

Raphael Lima
War Studies PhD Candidate at King's College London
LinkedIn: Raphael Camargo Lima
Twitter: @raphaelclima

What are you currently working on? What are the challenges and expectations regarding your research?
My research deals with the spread of military transformations in South America. Several countries in the region underwent large-scale reform processes at similar timings and have been using similar concepts to reform their armies—such as capability-based planning, disruptive innovation, multi-mission forces, scenario planning etc. I aim to understand how an idea that started in the US defence community spread to a very distinct security environment, South America, and how these states have adopted it. The region is especially of interest as several of these armies mainly engage in domestic missions—such as public security, fighting drug trafficking, nation-building etc. In some cases, there are severe civil-military gaps, and the military is also a strong domestic political actor. This makes the South American case especially interesting in understanding the phenomenon of the diffusion of doctrinal, organisational, and technological military innovations. 

What sparked your curiosity the most?
I realised that several South American armies were referring to as ‘transformations’ was a bit distinct from the original formulation from the US and NATO in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Also, I realised there was a regional effect in the diffusion of ‘transformation’. As one army started doing it, others began copying concepts and engaging in similar processes. Hence, I wished to understand the concept and how different it was within South America and how much it differed from the original formulations. 

How was your first contact with the theme (military transformation)?
I worked as a civilian researcher at the Brazilian Army General Staff from 2017 to 2019. While there, I learned a lot about this large-scale reform process they advertised: the Brazilian Army Transformation (Transformação do Exército Brasileiro). At the time, this caught my attention, and I realised Brazil was trying to create its version of a large-scale institutional reform several other armed forces worldwide had done over the 2000s. I also had the opportunity to be part of bilateral military meetings between the Brazilian Army and other armies. I understood that countries like the US, Colombia, Chile, and Ecuador were also undergoing ‘transformations’.

What book would you recommend and why? / What book or scholar has been most inspiring for your work?
I would like to make an article recommendation and a book recommendation. The military historian John Lynn has been quite inspirational for my work. His piece 
The Evolution of Army Style in the Modern West, 800-2000,significantly influenced how I understand the process of diffusion in how army structures converge over time. His main argument is that from time to time, an army (or armed force) becomes the paradigm for others and, consequently, inspires emulation or copying. This idea of paradigm armies is a crucial aspect of my research. 

The book recommendation is Michael Horowitz’s 
The Diffusion of Military Power: Causes and Consequences for International Politics. The author presents a well-researched piece about how military innovations spread in the international system and what is their impact on balances of power. Although one may not agree with all his arguments, he makes a compelling case for how specific innovations are incorporated by military organisations and affect international politics. The book is also a great source of literature on the diffusion of military innovations. 

Lucie Pebay
URSA funded PhD Candidate in Politics, Languages and International Studies
at the University of Bath
LinkedIn: Lucie Pebay
Twitter: @LuciePebay


What am I currently working on?
My thesis seeks to offer a better understanding of the contemporary French army model and its recent and ongoing transformations. 

With a view to complement a military transformation literature dominated by realist thinking, it highlights the role of culture and identity in driving and shaping French land army contemporary transformation using Ontological Security Theory (OST) as a framework of analysis. I propose to also consider what does not change to further understand transformation. I take a holistic approach and look at different aspects of military transformation. I use thematic analysis relying on a qualitative dataset of existing literature, official government documents, and semi-directed interviews of French officers and transformation experts. 

I am currently drafting two chapters for my thesis. The first one lays the theoretical ground identifying ontological security as a driver and shaper of change of French army transformation. The second one offers a comparative analysis of French and British army transformation. 

What book or scholar has been most inspiring for your work?
Although they are many incredibly interesting contributions to military transformation literature, I would say the works of Prof. Anthony King and Prof. Olivier Schmitt have had a particularly strong influence on my research. 

Over the last decade, King has published a trilogy on contemporary military transformation, each volume describing an aspect of military professionalization. Themes of concentration, transnationalization and professionalization are recurring in all three books. The first volume The Transformation of Europe’s Armed Forces is broad in scope, offering a historically specific analysis of European military transformation. The last two volumes, Combat Soldier (2013) and Command: The Twenty-First Century General (2019) look at military transformation at the operational level. 

Schmitt has written a lot on three themes that I articulate in my own research: military transformation, the changing character of warfare and French strategic culture. He has published both in French and English. Some of his work on military transformation include ‘French Military Adaptation in the Afghan War: Looking Inward or Outward?’ (2017), a great piece looking at adaptation and emulation. One of his latest books co-edited with Sten Rynning and Amelie Theussen, War Time. Temporality and the Decline of Western Military Power (2021) looks at the concept of temporality to offer great insight on the future of war and military efficiency for the West.

My thesis supervisor Dr. Patrick Bury is very supportive of my project and has quite naturally been a strong influence. His book Mission Improbable: The Transformation of the British Army Reserve sheds light on contemporary British defence policy and army transformation. It relies on mixed methods research including interviews with ministers and generals, surveys and fieldwork with reserve units to provides an account of Future Reserves 2020. 

Megghi Pengili
PhD candidate at the University of Leeds & 
Non-resident fellow of the Blavatnik Centre for Interdisciplinary Cyber Research
at the Tel Aviv University, Israel
Ass. Editor at Civil Wars Journal
LinkedIn: Megghi Pengili 

Where does your passion for  researching into organisational innovation of defence matters comes from? 
I think, in general, that I’m kind of the enthusiastic person when I’m into something. I tend to love what I do and have fun with it. This passion for researching into organisational innovation in defence was nurtured by my enthusiasm and  formed gradually in time. Initially, I started my professional formation as a civil servant in national security and defence institutions. To do this, one needs to understand the military culture and mindset and integrate with it. Being a part of that environment  is  rewarding and  challenging. You work and train  alongside the military personnel and learn quickly two things amongst many. One is that what matters is that you should have boom ideas, have a vision and be prepared to quickly adapt if presented with new information. The other is that successful performance in defence comes from experts of the future, who replace experience by vision.

In a next step, my academic formation was oriented towards defence studies. So, it has been with my masters, fellowships and so with my PhD. The doctoral project is about “The challenge of public-private partnerships for the organisational innovation of defence policy: the 5-D epistemic influence of the Italian and Israeli industries”. The focus is the non-technological innovation of defence, specifically the organisational innovation, which pertains to the institutions, governance tools and policy performance. The investigation seeks to closely explore this type of innovation by looking at how public institutions and their industry partners (here Italian and Israeli) mobilise, organise and control knowledge. From procurement tools for military edge (modernisation) to enablers of organisational novelties for strategic edge (transformation), partnerships between industry and public bodies are increasingly dominating the governance of the defence ecosystem and orientating the conduct of the policy by disseminating specialised knowledge. Causing internal institutional changes, this partnership aims at reaching defence transformation by promoting resilience, competitiveness, and sustainability.  The current scholarship shows little interest in connecting the dots among partnerships, organisational innovation and knowledge circulation, while de facto there is a daily growing interest from national institutions and collective security organisations to harness these knowledge communities’ potential.
 
Sharing the enthusiasm for research:  people and books 
It is important to have someone and share the enthusiasm for your story, and that is precisely how the PhD journey starts. I was lucky and met two outstanding professionals and people to share my enthusiasm: my supervisors at Leeds, Dr Winn and Dr Worrall. With them I could go far, stay long and see deep into researching. 

About books…I was particularly absorbed by: 
The Edge (Mark Urban), The Scientific Way of Warfare (Antoine Busquet), Cyber war and Cyber peace in the Middle East (Michael Sexton)
Dr Tamiris Santos
Strategic Studies postdoctoral fellow at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
& prospective Defence & Security PhD Student at Cranfield University 
LinkedIn: Tamiris Santos
Twitter: @tamispsantos


How I ended up involved with military transformation and what I'm currently working on
Even though my research focus is not specifically on military transformation but on interoperability, these themes are very connected. During my postdoctoral research, I studied the adoption impacts of the artillery saturation rocket system and the cruise missile in Brazil, alongside my supervisor, Dr Érico Duarte, and several inspiring researchers. Our research project, funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Defence with the Procad-Defesa initiative, is entitled: "Missiles and Rockets in National Defence: the ASTROS System as an Element of Military Transformation". 

The core idea was to understand to what extent such adoption could induce or contribute to the Brazilian military transformation, particularly in the Army. My task was to investigate the institutional and structural impacts, which I addressed in two ways: 1) by reviewing Horowitz's adoption capacity theory and addressing its main implications from a domestic standpoint, based on reaction-diffusion and complex systems theory; and 2) by a systemic interoperability-based approach that brought further insights and refinements to my first thesis analytical model. As these refinements demanded specific knowledge coming from other fields of science, Dr Duarte and I agreed that I needed further help to keep developing these studies to a greater extent.

This situation led me to be in touch with other scholars from abroad and, ultimately, to a new PhD at Cranfield Defence & Security, at the Centre for Defence Management and Leadership. My next project is to understand how interoperability unfolds and to capture its relationships with organisational sustainability and military effectiveness, having some sort of metric as an output. I am pretty excited about this brand new journey alongside my two supervisors, who are experts in SSR with a background in the military and in physics, Dr Ifti Zaidi and Dr Brian Watters. Once military transformation is also related to maximising effectiveness, I think I'll still be involved with this theme for a while - or at least for the next three years.

First contact with the theme & inspiring books 
My first contact with this theme was during my PhD at UFRGS in 2013, reading Stephen Biddle's "
Military Power: Explaining Victory and Defeat in Modern Battle". His criticism of the Revolution of Military Affairs (RMA) kept me thinking for a long time about which structure could result in significant military change and, eventually, transformation. Even though I ended up focusing on jointery, I think that the following books brought invaluable insights on transformation, RMA, and the like:

I think that all these books are fundamental for anyone who keeps wondering if venturing into military transformation is their way. Even though defining what military transformation is still a task to be accomplished, it is certainly an intriguing theme for anyone who wishes to dig further into the military change process and several other impacts that come from it.

On-going, contemporary debate & quick reads about
Military Transformation and Innovation 
Edited by Lucie Pebay & Tamiris Santos
         
Military transformation debate comes since the 90's. However, this is an ongoing debate. Then, check our reading list with some classic and contemporary up-to-date recommendations.
What is Transformation? A discussion on the theme by Brigadier James Cook OBE, recently released on the Wavell Room website. Check it out by clicking on the image above.
For recent comments on the innovation posited by small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and the challenges they represent for the British Army,  click on the image above.
Further reading:
  • Adamsky, D. (2010) The Culture of Military Innovation: The Impact of Cultural Factors on the Revolution in Military Affairs in Russia, the US, and Israel. 1a edição. Stanford, Calif: Stanford Security Studies. 
  • Avant, D. (1994) Political Institutions and Military Change, New York: Cornell University Press.
  • Bull, S. (2004) Encyclopedia of military technology and innovation. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.
  • Bury, P. and Catignani, S. (2019) ‘Future Reserves 2020, the British Army and the politics of military innovation during the Cameron era’, International Affairs, 95(3), pp. 681–701. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiz051.
  • Bury, P. (2019) Mission Improbable: The Transformation of the British Army Reserve. Havant: Howgate Publishing. 
  • Davis, P. K. (2010). Military Transformation? Which Transformation and What Lies Ahead?. In: S. J. Cimbala (ed.), The George W. Bush Defense Program: Policy, Strategy, and War (pp. 11-41). Lincoln Nebraska: Potomac Books.
  • Dombrowski, P. and Gholz, E. (2006) Buying Military Transformation: Technological Innovation and the Defense Industry. New York Chichester, West Sussex: Columbia University Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7312/domb13570.
  • Farrell, T. (2010) ‘Improving in War: Military Adaptation and the British in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, 2006—2009', Journal of Strategic Studies, 33(4).
  • Farrell, T. and Terriff, T. (eds) (2001) The Sources of Military Change: Culture, Politics Technology, Boulder: Lynne Reinner.
  • Galbreath, D. (2014) ‘Western European Armed Forces and the Modernisation Agenda: Following or Falling Behind?’, Defence Studies, 14(4), 394-413. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/14702436.2014.961356
  • Goldman, E.O. and Andres, R.B. (1999) ‘Systemic effects of military innovation and diffusion’, Security Studies, 8(4), pp. 79–125. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/09636419908429387.
  • Griffin, S. (2017). Military Innovation Studies: Multidisciplinary or Lacking Discipline. Journal of Strategic Studies, 40(1-2), 196-224. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/01402390.2016.1196358  
  • Grissom, A. (2006). ‘The Future of Military Innovation Studies’. Journal of Strategic Studies, 29(5), 905-934. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/01402390600901067
  • Jungdahl, A.M. and Macdonald, J.M. (2015) ‘Innovation Inhibitors in War: Overcoming Obstacles in the Pursuit of Military Effectiveness’, Journal of Strategic Studies, 38(4), pp. 467–499. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/01402390.2014.917628. 
  • Kier, E. (1997) Imagining War: French and British Military Doctrine, Princeton: Princeton University Press. 
  • King, A. (2011) The Transformation of Europe’s Armed Forces: From the Rhine to Afghanistan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 
  • King, A. (2006a) ‘The Post-Fordist Military’, Journal of Political and Military Sociology, 34(2).
  • Martí Sempere, C. (2017) ‘A survey of performance issues in defence innovation’, Defence and Peace Economics, 28(3), pp. 319–343. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10242694.2015.1072377.
  • Murray, W.R. (1996) Military Innovation in the Interwar Period. 1a edição. Edited by A.R. Millett. Cambridge University Press.
  • Raska, M. (2015) Military Innovation in Small States: Creating a Reverse Asymmetry. 1st edn. Michael Raska. Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge is an: Routledge. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315766720.
  • Rosen, P. (1994) Winning the Next War: Innovation and the Modern Military. New-York: Cornell Studies in Security Affairs. 
  • Sloan, E. (2008) Military Transformation and Modern Warfare: a Reference Handbook. Westport, Connecticut; London: Praeger Security International. 
  • Zisk, K.M. (1993) Engaging the enemy: organization theory and Soviet military innovation, 1955-1991. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press.
July Twitter Hour: Military Transformation
Edited by Lucy Robinson

This month’s #TwitterHour happened on Wednesday 20th July on the theme of ‘military transformation’. Below, we share the highlights. Let us know if you have resources, articles, events, books to recommend or share around this theme. #DefResChat

Q1: How would you define military transformation?
• @DefenceResNet #DefResChat Not my area of expertise but @RANDCorporation have a brilliant description here
Military Transformation | RAND
• This has got Mr W and I talking about whether the idea of military change, innovation and transformation suggests something more radical than perhaps a reality of slower evolution. And are there some things that are 'unacceptable' to change. Love to hear from others. #DefResChat
•This reminds me of a paper by Paul K. Davis' describing military transformation as a 'profound change in military affairs' 
Military Transformation? Which Transformation, and What Lies Ahead? (rand.org) #DefResChat
• What an interesting point? I wonder though whether this relates to a previous #DefResChat thought and reflections on what is known publicly and what is not? @DefenceResNet

Q2: Why does military transformation studies matter? 
• As a reflection on the definition, could this be important as military objectives are related to the need of nations/ globally? #DefResChat 

Q3: What publications and/or authors would you recommend to others on the theme of 'military transformation'?
• @antbruceking has published extensive work on the subject. I would definitely recommend reading his trilogy on contemporary military transformation: The Transformation of Europe's Armed Forces, The Combat Soldier and Command) #DefResChat
• @PatrickBury's book: 'Mission Improbable: The Transformation of the British Army Reserve' is a must read! #DefResChat
•Contributions by @DJGalbreath including a piece of European militaries:
 
Western European Armed Forces and the Modernisation Agenda: Following or Falling Behind?: Defence Studies: Vol 14, No 4 (tandfonline.com) #DefResChat
• 
@Olivier1Schmitt has published great pieces on military transformation and the future of war (both in French and English!). I would recommend checking his work: https://olivier-schmitt.com
• Here are some must read books and articles in MT: @DrAEFox ''Learning to Fight: Military Innovation and Change in the British Army, 1914-1918''—a staggering work building on learning, adaptation and innovation literature to explore changing process of the British Army during WW1.
• "The Transformation of Italian Armed Forces in Comparative Perspective: Adapt, Improvise, Overcome?''—the authors @FCoticchia and Francesco N. Moro sophisticatedly explore how 1.doctrine and strategic framework; 2. budget and resource allocation; 3. force structure shape MT.
• The study of @RobertFoleyKCL, @StuartGriffKCL, and @HMcCartneyKCL '‘Transformation in Contact: Learning the Lessons of Modern War’'—a breathtaking paper looking at the US and UK interaction to show relatedness among their transformation processes.
• ‘Transforming Military Power since the Cold War’ by @WarProf @stenrynning and Terry Terriff 
Transforming Military Power since the Cold War (cambridge.org)
• Not new, but definitely a must for military transformation in Europe: "A Transformation Gap? American Innovations and European Military Change" from Dr Farrell (@WarProf), Dr Frans Osinga and Dr Terry Terriff.

Q4: What research would benefit the field of military transformation and why?
• Understanding the dynamics of the adoption of military transformation from a domestic standpoint would be very clarifying. Investigating if there are patterns regarding the adoption of transformation across different regions could help to address this field of studies.

Thank you to everyone who took part! 

What we're reading
Edited by Veronika Poniscjakova
Enemies Near and Far: How Jihadist Groups Strategize, Plot, and Learn
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Thomas Joscelyn

 
Using newly available documents from al-Qaeda and ISIS, this book explores how jihadist groups think, grow, and adapt. It presents militant groups as learning organizations, showing their strategic, tactical, and technological innovation. It explains their most effective strategic and tactical moves, including attacks targeting aircraft and the use of the Internet to inspire lone attackers. The book points out the learning process of militant groups, noting their initial efforts to upgrade their capabilities often fail but they learn from these experiments. Lastly, the book also examines how militants are likely to use emerging technologies in the future.
 
You can buy a copy 
here.
Watching Murder: ISIS, Death Videos and Radicalization
Simon Cottee 


This new book studies jihadist murder videos as well as the people who watch and share them. It examines why people watch these videos, and what effect the videos have on them. The book focuses on ISIS and its reach around the world. In the book, the author interviews extremism researchers and "cleaners" (who report and remove violent jihadist propaganda from the Internet) and also surveys young adults to find out their views on ISIS and its beheading videos.
 
You can get a copy 
here
What we've been listening to
Edited by Tamiris Santos


Wavell Room Podcast series - Innovation and Defence's Language of Change
 
Covering several issues facing the military and the wider defence community, with a keen eye on UK defence, the Wavell Room presents several podcast series. Due to the theme of this month, we'd like to highlight the 'Innovation and Defence's Language of Change' episodes, released last year.

Check this
link to listen to the first episode of this series, and click on the link in the image above to access all the episodes released so far. 


War on the Rocks Podcast - 'Change or Die episode'


The well-known platform contains analysis and debate on strategy, defence, and foreign affairs, featuring a wide range of articles and podcast episodes. 'Change or Die' was released in 2020 and featured military change and adaptation in the U.S, according to David Barno, Nora Bensahel, and Frank Hoffman.

To listen to this episode, click on this
link. For the complete list of episodes, just click on the image above! 



King's College War Studies Podcast


The War Studies podcast from the School of Security Studies at King's College London brings several discussion episodes featuring aspects of security, defence, and international relations covered by experts and the KCL community. We'd like to highlight Sir Lawrence Freedman's speech on 'How to think about the Future of War', released in 2017.

You can listen to this episode at this link, and to access all the released contents of the War Studies podcast, just click on the image above! 

Events...
Edited by André Carvalho
Executive Course on the People's Liberation Army
Date: 17-19 August 2022
Location: Washington, DC
The National Bureau of Asian Research is offering the third iteration of its three-day executive education course exploring the history, strategic culture, and increasingly global impact of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Participants in this graduate-level course in Washington, D.C., will join a series of interactive seminar-style classes and lunch discussions, as well as a simulation exercise, as part of a curriculum shaped by world-class PLA specialists on one of the world’s most formidable militaries. For more details on the course, follow this link, and apply here.
Defence and Security Doctoral Symposium
Date: 09-10 November 2022
Hosted by Cranfield University, the Defence and Security Doctoral Symposium provides research students and early career researchers in defence and security with an opportunity to present their work to a sector-wide audience. It covers both technological and social science research. The event also includes an exhibition space for industry and other employers of defence and security researchers. This event is designed specifically for researchers with an interest in defence and security research outcomes, including PhD and other research students and their supervisors, early career researchers, representatives from industry, government and other defence and security-relevant NGOs. If interested, you can find more in depth details here.
Opportunities...

If you would like to advertise any upcoming opportunities, please let us know via email.
 
Edited by André Carvalho
Opportunities at King's College London
Defence Studies Department
Position: School Communications and Events Officer
Deadline: August the 4th, 2020

 
King’s College London is looking for a Communications and Events Officer to work in one of its most high-profile schools within the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy: the School of Security Studies, which includes the Department of War Studies, Defence Studies Department and King’s Institute for Applied Security Studies. The role will be based at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in Shrivenham with regular working also at the Strand Campus of King’s in central London. The job would suit someone with excellent organisation, events management and communication skills, including having experience of producing social media content, strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects effectively. For more details on the opportunity and the application process, click here.

King's Centre of Military Health
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
Position: 1 fully funded 3-year LISS-DTP CASE studentship (+3 Studentship) in Psychological Medicine at the King’s Centre of Military Health (KCMHR) in partnership with Combat Stress funded through LISS DTP/ESRC


More details and how to apply, follow this
link.
Lecturer in International Relations at Queen's University Belfast
School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics (HAPP)
Deadline: August the 8th, 2022
The School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics (HAPP) at Queen’s University Belfast, is currently seeking to appoint an exceptional candidate to the post of Lecturer (Education) in International Relations. This is a Fixed Term Contract for 12 months commencing in September 2022, to work in the field of International Relations, broadly defined, to support research and teaching at all levels. For more details and how to apply, click here.
Call for Submissions - Civil-Military Relations and Modern War
Deadline: October the 15th, 2022
The Modern War Institute is pleased to announce its collaboration with the US Army War College Civil Military Relations Centre on a new, limited series of articles focused on the consequences of civil-military relations for contemporary strategic issues. They invite invite the academic community to submit your ideas for short essays that relate to this theme, whether at the strategic, operational, or tactical level. Potential topics include the implications of contemporary civil-military relations for challenges relating to military and Department of Defense recruitment, democracy and political polarization, decision-making processes, and professional norms, in the United States or elsewhere. More details here

Call for Participants
Defence, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy in the UK 
(Interviews for a research at the University of Bath)

Léonie Briendo is currently doing an MA in Gender and Politics at the University of Bath. Her dissertation is on the Defence, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy put in place in the UK in 2018. She aims to understand how women experienced the changes and the creation of this strategy. To do so, she would like to interview women who were active during that period and left the forces between 2019 and 2022. Only people above 18 years old will be able to participate, and a consent form will be available before any conversation. All information collected will be anonymous, and no private or secure information is needed.

Reach out to Léonie at her e-mail: lmgb22@bath.ac.uk.

Call for Participants
The Veterans and Families Institute
The Veterans and Families Institute are currently undertaking a study exploring how RAF families communicate during periods of separation, in light of the rise of social media and online communication in the last decade. We are looking to speak to RAF children and young people 11-21 via online focus groups, and partners of currently serving RAF personnel with children aged under 18 via online individual interviews. Our aim is to better understand the positives and challenges of families’ communication today, and coproduce recommendations on how organisations can best support families’ virtual relationships. All participants will have the chance to win an Amazon voucher as thank you for their time. To find out more about taking part, please email .
Research Fellowship in Emerging Technologies and International Security
Bridging the Gap
Dealine: August 15th, Monday
 
Bridging the Gap (BTG) is accepting applications for their New Voices Research Fellowship, funded by The Raymond Frankel Foundation and in partnership with New America. They are seeking a thoughtful, motivated PhD student or someone who has completed their doctoral degree in the last 12 months to make significant contributions to the planning and content of an upcoming  workshop in the New Voices series. The PhD fellow will assist with workshop preparations, serve  as a rapporteur at this workshop, prepare relevant materials, and organize  post-workshop summaries and publications. Apply for the position here

Call for Submissions – Journal for War and Culture Studies

Deadline: September 1st, Thursday
The Journal for War and Culture Studies has been at the forefront of the cultural turn in war studies from its first issue in 2008. Since then it has expanded beyond its original base in Modern Languages and twentieth-century European Studies to become truly global and to encompass research from the late eighteenth century to the present day from both the Arts and Humanities and the Social Sciences. Throughout this time, it has taken great pride in being a forum in which both established and new voices are heard.

In June 2021, early career researchers from around the world presented a series of short papers exploring future directions in the field. Now, postgraduate researchers and early career scholars are invited to send their reflections on the topic “War and Culture Studies - What Next?” for a special to be published in 2023. There are no prescribed themes for this special issue, but authors can to demonstrate how their own research specialism is establishing new ways of working in, and of understanding, the field. Authors should therefore reflect on the wider ramifications of their research, as well as its specificity, and highlight its broader relevance for scholars of War and Culture Studies. Further guidelines can be found
here.
As always, keep an eye on our Twitter for new events and opportunities posted/retweeted every day!

Planning a future event?
If you are planning a defence-related event and you would like to reach an audience of like-minded researchers, we'd love to come along! Drop us an email and we can include it in our next newsletter.
 
If you are interested in any of our events but don't want to go alone, or simply want to expand your network, please reach out on Twitter or drop us an email and we can connect you with fellow DRN members who may be planning to attend.
We'll be back in September!
We hope you've enjoyed our news, pieces of conversation, and recommendations so far. We'll be out for the summer holidays. As promised, we'll be back in September. In case you missed our previous newsletter editions, check out our archive section here!

As usual, we will be looking to showcase some early-career researchers in research spotlights in the newsletter so don't be shy! And we welcome any suggestions for 'in conversation with' pieces with more established academics working in this area. And let us know about any relevant events, from book launches to webinars. We'll keep an eye on our Twitter account to keep you posted!

 
Keep an eye on @DefenceResNet for more information and check out the website for a preview of the questions for the next #DefResChat. You can also find all our previous #DefResChats on the Archive section of our website. Make sure to tag @DefenceResNet and hashtag #DefResChat to join the conversation.
 
See you soon and many thanks for being part of our network. Happy summertime!
Find Out More
Do you have a blog or publication you would like to promote? Don't hesitate to share it with us via email and we can add it to our newlsetter.
Thank you so much for joining our network.

Have you recently won an award, had your paper published, launched a book or are you organising an event? We want to hear from you! We are always looking for new content for our newsletter and would love to showcase the great work of our members.


For queries, more information, or just to tell us about yourself, don't hesitate to contact us on Twitter @DefenceResNet or at defenceresearchnetwork@gmail.com 

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