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 in relation to 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. We would be nothing without you! This February, we're reflecting on the theme of 'defence engagement', sharing the outputs of our recent AGM and our plans for collaborating this year, and we're on the look out for new committee members!
Scroll down to get up to date with the news, opinions, and events from our members...
|
|
|
Welcome to the Defence Research Network Newsletter!
We're writing this as the Russian military launches its invasion of Ukraine, our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine in these dark hours and all those affected by this war. As we await news on the response of Western governments, somehow our monthly theme of 'defence engagement' or 'the means by which the UK uses defence assets and activities short of combat operations to achieve influence' seems more relevant than ever. Do check out our blogpost from Sorina Toltica reflecting on 'wars at a distance'.
It is our continued aim into 2022 to continue to collaborate through increased engagement between our network and the research, practice and policy communities and we are delighted to share with you some of those we have been connecting with later in the newsletter. We know that one of the challenges for early career researchers is getting a sense of the organisations and networks out there. So we have been working hard to reach out to diverse and useful organisation, to share with you what they do and how they could help with your research and work. We hope we've found some you are interested in following up with. We are very open to hearing from other networks and organisations - formal and informal - who would like to connect with us or work with us so do get in touch.
We are on the look out for new committee members to join our friendly bunch and, in particular, to help us with the newsletter and website. Check out the section below for more information about what we are looking for and how to get in touch.
We have been thrilled with how many of you have been in touch to share news with us of your books and publications and are delighted to include these all in the newsletter. We would love to hear from more of you so do get in touch by email or on Twitter to let us know what you are up to so we can share it in our next newsletter.
Hannah West and Jemma Humphries
Co-Chairs of the Defence Research Network
|
|
|
|
Europe and the entire world are stepping into a new era. As Russia begins its invasion of Ukraine, it is still unclear how the invasion will impact on the people of Ukraine and surrounding countries, or how this new hybrid conflict will unfold.
Tensions at the Russia-Ukraine borders have been dominating newsfeeds for the past month, and as of Thursday 24th February Russia has launched multiple military advances from the north in Belarus, the south from Crimea, and from the eastern regions of Donetsk & Luhansk.
Alongside the conventional movement of military units into Ukraine, Russia has launched a targeted bombing campaign aimed at destroying key infrastructures such as airports, and military bases. There are continued cyber attacks designed to further immobilise the Ukrainian state, with new malicious software capable of wiping all data on infected devices.
Propaganda continues to be a key weapon in Putin's armoury, as he claims Russia is acting in defence of their own national security, and to secure the freedom of two supposedly self-proclaimed republics - Donetsk & Luhansk.
As many flee the capital and Ukraine, we hope for a swift and peaceful resolution.
|
|
|
Come and join our Committee...
|
|
|
|
We are currently seeking several new committee members to join our newsletter team and our website team! We are looking for enthusiastic and committed individuals with an interest in all things defence and research!
- Anyone can apply to join the committee!
- No formal training is required. We will provide all the training you need!
- You'll be joining a diverse and welcoming group!
- The DRN committee is completely voluntary, we actively encourage all committee members to put their work, studies and health first!
If you are interested in joining the committee please email us at: defenceresearchnetwork@gmail.com
Please provide us with a short bio of yourself, detailing you research interests and which area of the committee you are interested in joining - Newsletter and or the Website.
We look forward to hearing from you!
|
|
|
We held our AGM last week and wanted to share with you a visual read out of what we talked about: our aims for 2022, a summary from our teams and the decisions made.
|
|
|
|
Who we've been talking to...
|
|
|
|
We have been reaching out to networks and organisations - formal and informal - to learn a bit more about what they do and share this with our community. We recognise that as early career researchers it can be difficult to get a sense of what is out there but we know how important it can be to connect with other researchers and we hope you will want to reach out to some of these too. Next month we would like to feature defence-related research clusters and research centres so please get in touch and let us know about yours.
|
|
Herstory Club was established to bring women with a passion for history together. We run a collaborative blog with different monthly themes which has two aims: to shine a light on the stories of women in history and to provide a platform for women to share their love of history (no qualifications required!). We also have a monthly newsletter to share a round up of Herstory news and events, and organise the occasional meet up which is always a blast.
www.herstory.club
Twitter - @Herstory_Club
Insta - @_herstory_club
|
|
|
|
Previously the Gulf War Illness Research Unit, the King’s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) was launched in 2004 as a joint initiative between the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) and the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. KCMHR draws upon the experience of a multi-disciplinary team and is led by Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Nicola T. Fear. We undertake research investigating military life using quantitative, qualitative, and digital methods. Our flagship study is a longitudinal investigation of the health and well-being of the UK Armed Forces personnel. Our findings are regularly reported in the press and have also been used to inform policies that impact health and well-being of the Armed Forces Community.
We are keen to develop further collaborations, especially to support early career researchers. If you’re interested in knowing more about our work, and want to get involved, please email daniel.leightley@kcl.ac.uk or visit our website www.kcmhr.org
|
|
|
The Veterans and Families Institute for Military Social Research, at Anglia Ruskin University, UK, is a multi-disciplinary centre for social science research with veterans and military communities. Our work is spread across four core workstreams: understanding and supporting women and minorities, improving care and support for military families, exploring the politics of veterans’ narratives, and developing knowledge translation from academia to industrial, third sector and public sector partners. We work with a wide range of national and international research partners, and our research is designed to create impact within the communities we work with. Over it’s 8 years, the staff at the VFI have won in excess of £4 million from a wide range of research funders, produced over 150 publications, and have contributed numerous outputs and an Impact Case Study to REF2021. The VFI is dedicated to providing a growth environment for Early Career Researchers and is continually striving to develop new and exciting research opportunities. To find out more, please visit Veterans & Families Institute for Military Social Research - ARU, or follow us on twitter @aru_vfi.
|
|
|
SPIN is a collaborative initiative between researchers based in the South West of the UK with members of the network across the UK, the Netherlands, France, Mexico, the US and Canada. SPIN research focuses on the power and politics of secrecy and ignorance – at the global, international, state, societal and personal level. With revelations associated with the War on Terror and the #metoo movement, obfuscations surrounding the climate crisis, calls for transparency and ‘open societies’, new technological developments (including ‘deep fakes’ and cyberthreats), the re-emergence of discourses of ‘fake news’, the deepening of conspiracy cultures, along with the ongoing struggles of marginalised communities to be recognised or acknowledged have resulted in an increased need to understand the political and social dimensions of secrecy and ignorance. Our work therefore reflects an urgent and ongoing ambition to rethink secrecy and ignorance as forces for driving social and political developments. Sign up for information about events, and find out more about us, at https://secrecyresearch.com/about/ or follow us @research_SPIN
|
|
The Women’s Intelligence Network (WIN) connects, supports, and promotes female scholars who work in the field of Intelligence Studies. WIN is hosted in Europe and the UK by the King’s Intelligence Studies Group (KISG) and in North America by the North American Society for Intelligence History (NASIH). The overall goal is to get more research by and on women promoted, supported, and elevated in the field of Intelligence Studies. Sign up for information about events, and find out more about us, at https://kisg.co.uk/win or follow us @womenknowintel
|
|
|
|
Open Door is a research hub within the Orama Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing at Flinders University. The Director of Open Door is Associate Professor Ben Wadham. Ben Wadham is an ADF veteran committed to enhancing veteran transition and the prosperity of all South Australians. Professor Tracey Wade is the Director of the Orama Institute.
Open Door’s mission is to undertake research towards the successful transition of people from the military to the community. Open Door recognises that separating from the military is a challenging time. Returning to civilian life and family and friends is exciting but can also be a time of uncertainty and stress. Coming from a highly scheduled life to a life that is open and maybe initially without clear direction requires reorientation across the domains of employment, housing, education, justice, health, mental health, and the community. If one has health issues the transition can be even more challenging.
To find out more please contact Ben Wadham (ben.wadham@flinders.edu.au)
|
|
The Irregular Warfare Initiative (IWI) continues to bridge the gap between scholars and practitioners to support the community of irregular warfare professionals. IWI is a collaborative space to engage in professional and public discourse on irregular warfare policy and strategy. Key pillars include the production of written and audio content, interpersonal engagements, and a Fellows/professional development program.
Website: Irregular Warfare Initiative
Twitter: @IrregWarfare
LinkedIn: Irregular Warfare Initiative
|
|
|
|
|
The Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research (CHACR) is a ’think tank’ established for the Army that offers independent and objective views.
Their website (https://chacr.org.uk/) provides access to their various publications from books to briefings, videos, podcasts and information about activities and events they are running.
|
|
|
|
The Contact Group (‘Contact’) is the UK collaboration of statutory and non-statutory organisations, including charity, academic and professional bodies, working together on military mental health priorities encompassing policy, treatment and research. Contact also acts as the mental health cluster for Cobseo, the Confederation of Service Charities. As well as core Contact members, a number of Contact associate, research associate and partner organisations also engage with the work of the group. Membership of the group and engagement by member and other organisations in its collaborative work is entirely voluntary.
Work on Contact Group projects is made possible through the participation of members and other organisations in its different workstreams, as well as support from a number of partner organisations. Operational costs are funded for 2022-24 through the generous support of the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT). The Contact website is funded for the period 2020-2022 through the kind support of the Veterans’ Foundation. Contact is hosted for financial and administrative purposes for the period 2022-24 by Contact member Help for Heroes. The Contact Group’s current Terms of Reference can be found here.
|
|
|
Wars at a distance- a very short review
(by Sorina Toltica)
|
|
|
In contrast with the large-scale counterinsurgency operations that have characterised the first decade of this century, the second has seen an increasing use of “activities short of combat operations to achieve influence”. Efforts to relabel contemporary military engagement that uses indirect control as foreign policy to counter threats ‘at a distance’ has led to a rich collection of “war-type concepts”: remote, liquid, vicarious, surrogate and proxy warfare. Albeit being what Rauta & Monaghan (2021) call a “terminological quagmire”, which indeed for us researchers is sometimes difficult to navigate, the emerging literature reveals interesting findings.
There are several drivers for indirect engagement in a changing socio-political and geo-strategic context. Our times are marked by high political and military risk aversion but ever decreasing resources, after costly interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and further budgetary constraints following two years of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Technological innovations, alongside weaknesses of local partners (who find themselves in difficulty to respond to complex threats) have further contributed to influencing the way states engage abroad.
Further, whether these trends are traced back to the 1950s or more recent post-Iraq and Afghanistan security environments, research captures both Western and non-Western countries’ efforts to shape the international security environment to promote and protect interests through military means. For example, during the Obama and Trump administrations, the US has sought to minimise its military footprint by engaging in more drone strikes, more Special Operation Forces (SOF) raids, and a continued reliance on security cooperation in Yemen and Somalia. It did so for counterterrorism and to address inter-state strategic competition.
However, in analysing the remote character of the Saudi/UAE intervention in Yemen, mine and Ed Stoddard’s research article observed clear evidence of attempts to shape military outcomes whilst limiting ground commitments but for different reasons. Counterterrorism is just a marginal driver, “remote forms of military operations” having helped states to deal with intrinsic weaknesses, pursue own security interests, further wider regional positions and retain a large proportion of ground forces ready for any potential conflict with Iran. In the case of Ukraine however, Rauta (2016) finds that Russia seeks to fulfil its interrelated territorial and ideological outcomes: the territorial seizure and annexation of Crimea and a political buffer-zone facilitated by a frozen conflict in the Southeast.
Regardless of the terms used, the literature signals that these forms of engagement are problematic, rarely low cost and never risk free, their multilateral nature making the management of relationships “tricky”. The lack of public exposure or complex alliances makes difficult tracing lines of responsibility. Efforts are hindered by political instability in partner countries, and in certain cases it generates counterproductive effects and significant strategic harm by providing political and military elites the opportunity to secure their authoritarian regimes. Implementation in poorly understood contexts sees donors offering Weberian style blueprints that do not take into account local power sharing arrangements.
Not aiming to end on a pessimistic note, which seems to be prevalent these days, there are also opportunities for improvement, should there be the so much needed political will to implement changes. Noting a need to strike a balance between short term aims of improving military interoperability, tactical capacity or immediate counterterrorism assistance, and long-term aims that seeks to find lasting solutions, Watling and Reynolds (2021) provide a pragmatic answer to achieving success in times when “proxies are back in fashion”: states need clear strategic aims, resources and a commitment to a better understanding of the environment and partners.
The sources below (and their own bibliographies) are a good starting point should you find yourself wanting to know more.
- Ansorg, N. (2017). Security sector reform in Africa: Donor approaches versus local needs, Contemporary Security Policy, 38:1, 129-144, DOI:10.1080/13523260.2016.1278343
- Biegon, R, & Watts, T. (2017) Defining Remote Warfare: Security Cooperation. Remote Control Project, Oxford Research Group
- Biegon, R., & Watts, T. (2020). When ends Trump means: continuity versus change in US counterterrorism policy. Global Affairs, 6(1), 37–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/23340460.2020.1734956
- Demmers, J., & Gould, L. (2018). An assemblage approach to liquid warfare: AFRICOM and the ‘hunt’ for Joseph Kony. Security Dialogue, 49(5), 364–381. https://doi.org/10.1177/0967010618777890
- Groh, T. (2019). Proxy War: The Least Bad Option. Stanford University Press.
- Krieg, A., & Rickli, J. M. (2018). Surrogate warfare: the art of war in the 21st century? Defence Studies, 18(2), 113–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/14702436.2018.1429218
- Mumford, A. (2013). Proxy warfare and the future of conflict. RUSI Journal, 158(2), 40–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/03071847.2013.787733
- Rauta, V. & Monaghan, S. (2021). Global Britain in the greyzone: Between stagecraft and statecraft, Contemporary Security Policy, 42:4, 475-497, DOI:10.1080/13523260.2021.1980984
- Rauta, V. (2016). Proxy agents, auxiliary forces, and sovereign defection: assessing the outcomes of using non-state actors in civil conflicts, Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, 16:1, 91-111, DOI: 10.1080/14683857.2016.1148416
- Stoddard, E. & Toltica, S. (2021). Practising remote warfare: analysing the remote character of the Saudi/UAE intervention in Yemen, Defence Studies, 21:4, 447-467, DOI: 10.1080/14702436.2021.1994395
- Waldman, T. (2018). Vicarious warfare: The counterproductive consequences of modern American military practice. Contemporary Security Policy, 39(2), 181–205. https://doi.org/10.1080/13523260.2017.1393201
- Watling, J. & Reynolds, N. (2020). War by Others’ Means: Delivering Effective Partner Force Capacity Building. Routledge
|
|
|
|
Forces in Mind Trust Research Centre Conference 2022
“Research from the Four Nations (England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland)”
|
|
The 2022 Forces in Mind Trust Research Center Conference will feature research from the four nations (England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland) discussing topics such as housing, the criminal justice system, Health and well-being, and peer support.
Our very own Col (retd) Sally Coulthard, a DRN committee member, will be speaking in the Northern Ireland section, representing her charity the Defence Gardens Scheme.
The conference is taking place on Thursday 24th March in London, click the link to register.
We know that many of you research Veteran mental health, so let us know if you're heading to the FiMT conference! Tell us who you are most excited to hear speak, and what you are hoping to gain from attending the conference!
|
|
Reporting Sexual Offenses through the UK Service Justice Systems
Dr. Lauren Godier-McBard and Lottie Herriott will discuss whether rape during military service should be tried in the civilian courts. To more details and registration, follow this link
|
|
|
|
Conference: RUSI Missile Defence Conference 2022
|
|
Registrations for the RUSI MDC 2022 are now open. The event will delve into the ways in which long-range strike capabilities will influence deterrence and defence in the future operational environment. The conference will be held in-person but online participation is also possible. For details on registration and pass prices, follow this link.
|
|
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.
|
|
|
Opportunities...
If you would like to advertise any upcoming opportunities, please let us know via email.
|
|
|
|
|
Call for Papers: UNSW Canberra Conflict + Society Webinars
Deadline: Friday March 11th, 2022
|
|
The UNSW Canberra Conflict + Society Research Group invites the academic community to submit papers to the Conflict + Society Webinars 2022. Those interested should send a 200-word synopsis of the paper and a brief bio note to p.stanley@adfa.edu.au by Friday March 11th.
|
|
|
|
Job opportunity: Research Assistant at CNA
|
|
The Strategy, Policy, Plans and Programs (SPP) division of CAN is looking for a Research Assistant on Countering Threats and Challenges. For further detail and information, you can follow this link.
|
|
|
|
Job opportunity: Research Associated at the Cambridge Centre for Geopolitics
Deadline: Monday February 28th, 2022
|
|
The Centre for Geopolitics, a research centre within the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge, invites applications for three two-year, fixed-term post-doctoral Research Associates to pursue historically minded work on statecraft and strategy. The successful candidates will be responsible for conducting research on any area of geopolitics, past and present. We particularly welcome applications from women and candidates from a BME background for this vacancy, as they are currently under-represented at this level in our department. For more details you can follow this link.
|
|
|
|
Courses/Certificates: Wargaming at MORS Analytics
|
|
In partnership with Virginia Tech, the Military Operations Research Society will be offering a series of courses and certificates in wargaming. There will be three separate courses on the matter, covering themes from modelling games on homeland security to tactical wargames.
Certificate in Wargaming (04-08 April, 2022): click here
Certificate in Gaming Homeland Security (14-18 March, 2022): click here
Designing Tactical Wargames (03-05 May, 2022): click here
|
|
|
|
BASS22 Conference Call
Deadline for Submissions: March 21st, 2022
|
|
The Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats is calling for submissions for its second international conference on Behavioural and Social Sciences in Security, to be held in Lancaster, UK, from 19th to 21st July. This year’s themes are: risk and risk management, eliciting and assessing information, and deterrence and disruption. Deadline for submissions is Monday 21st March 2022. For details about thematic areas and submissions follow this link.
|
|
Call for Contributors: Defence-In-Depth
The Defence-In-Depth blog is run by Kings College London and has recently featured a number of blogs from DRN members. Their content is well suited to the breadth of our network and they are keen to hear from you with contributions from a wide range of subject areas. To submit a piece or discuss your ideas, contact the editor at rod.thornton@kcl.ac.uk
|
|
|
|
We are delighted to be able to share the following recent publications from our wider research community:
|
|
Beneath the Radar: An illustrated account of an ordinary radar operator's life in RAF Radar Stations 1942-6.
Nina Baker.
We are delighted to announce the publication of Nina's latest book which you can buy from here or we can put you in touch with Nina who can sell you the book direct for £10 (incl UK P&P) with or without signature/dedication. Congratulations on your lates book, Nina.
|
|
|
|
Jonny Ball, founder of Campaign Force has been in touch with us. He explained that the Campaign Force mission is to inspire, train and coach veterans to ‘stand up and serve again’. You can check out the work of Campaign Force via the two links below:
‘The Insurgency’- by Jonny Ball. Is the generation that countered insurgency the one that is ready to create their very own?
A look at the creation of a positive insurgency, for veterans to come together as a movement within established political parties, in a Perspex ‘Trojan Horse for change’, to ‘insert’ within and utilise their skills and knowledge for good. And the time is now, before we forget it all once again like we did when we were countering insurgency. We must learn this time though, how to create an insurgency as veterans in communities, organisations and political parties, and in doing so, change our politics for good.
LINK: https://www.campaignforce.co.uk/the_insurgency
’30 tips for veterans looking at getting into politics’ by Cllr Owen Pritchard. What is it that people should know before they get into politics?
LINK: https://www.campaignforce.co.uk/250/top_tips
|
|
|
Our former Co-Chair, Gav Topley, runs Lad's Advice to provide a space for young men who might find it difficult to access life/mental health support with a place to find peer support without judgement, to form bonds and to lift up their achievements and those of their friends. As part of this amazing initiative, he has started a series of podcasts which you can find on Youtube, Spotify, Apple and Google podcasts by searching for 'Lad's Advice Encounters'.
Gav is preparing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for PAPYRUS, a charity for the prevention of male suicide. You can learn more about his fundraising challenge here.
|
|
|
February Twitter Hour: Defence engagement
|
|
|
|
This month’s #TwitterHour happened on Wednesday 16th February on the theme of Defence Engagement. If you missed it, don’t worry – you can still join the conversation! Find the questions on our Twitter page or see below and don’t forget to use the hashtag #DefResChat in your replies. Alternatively, let us know if you have resources, articles, events, books to recommend or share on this topic that we can add to our resources page on the website.
Q1: International Defence Engagement is the means by which the UK uses defence assets and activities short of combat operations to achieve influence. Tell us which related areas you are working on. Please include other countries too.
Q2: Tell us about a resource and/or researcher working on ‘Capacity Building’, an integral part of Defence Engagement.
Q3: What are the opportunities and challenges in working with partners and allies in defence engagement?
Q4: Final question: What short- and long-term defence objectives should the UK, and its allies focus on in the next five years?
|
|
|
March's theme: Welfare of veterans and military families
|
|
|
|
Always a popular area of research within the DRN community, March's theme is going to be 'Welfare of veterans and military families' so if your research or interests lie in this broad field then do get in touch, we'd love to hear about your work. 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' pieces with more established academics working in this area.
And let us know about any relevant events from book launches to webinars.
We will be holding a Twitter hour on the 'Welfare of veterans and military families' mid month so 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.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Russian Nationalism and the Russian-Ukrainian War
Taras Kuzio
This recently published book deals with a very timely topic of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict as it focuses on the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea.
The book analyses the reasons why Russia has historically been unable to accept Ukraine as an independent country. Furthermore, the book examines why Western sanctions and criticism have not deterred Russian military aggression.
You can buy a copy here.
|
|
The Russian Minorities in the Former Soviet Republics: Secession, Integration, and Homeland
Anna Batta
This book also may help understand the current situation in Russia and Ukraine. It looks at the treatment of Russian minorities in the post-Soviet republics, including in Ukraine and the Baltics. It also points out that despite Ukraine's inclusive treatment of the Russian minority, Russia intervened in Ukraine, whereas in other republics with less benevolent approaches to minorities, the intervention did not occur.
You can buy a copy here.
|
|
|
Pause for thought...
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, the human costs of war is in the forefront of our minds.
No matter your political views or feelings on the events in Eastern Europe, we can all agree that conflict in whatever its form will undoubtedly impact on the most vulnerable in society.
Currently Europe and the rest of the world are braced for an influx of Ukrainian refugees; Men, women and children are desperately fleeing their homes and seeing safety.
If you want to find out how you can help those currently in need, please visit The Independent for a list of charities helping those fleeing and experiencing violence in Ukraine right now.
|
|
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
The DRN team
|
|
|
|
|
