Interested in all things defence? Take a peek inside our
Monthly Members' Newsletter
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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! After enjoying the summer, we are back this October to share thoughts and discussions on 'Policing and Private Security Companies'. We have some reflections on fieldwork, an 'in conversation' piece with Professor Marcos Reis and lots of reading recommendations on our theme.
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!
Greetings everyone! It has been super to get stuck back in to all things DRN this last month and we have so enjoyed hearing from you all with questions, sharing publications and telling us about events. When we first started out those in our little team were all at the start of our PhDs and struggling to single handedly keep an eye out for all the amazing things that were going on. We were missing new publications, exciting events and calls for papers. This was one of our main motivations for setting up the network so that as a group we could share these things and help each other.
It is great to receive so many messages each month sharing your publications and successes as well as your questions. Our newsletter goes to over 400 people now so hopefully we really are performing the function of becoming that one stop shop to find out what is going on in the defence research world as well as sharing what you have been up to. This month we received two separate questions about interviews and focus groups with veterans and military personnel, leading to us setting up an informal lunchtime session for some good old peer to peer support. So, do keep sending your questions in or getting in touch if you'd like to co-host or run a session. We like to keep things simple and are always open to new ideas.
And please read on to find out more about the DRN at the Defence and Security Doctoral Symposium being held next week. We will have a stand so do come and say hi and let us know if you are presenting, taking part in the 3MT or entering the vairous poster and image competitions.
Enjoy the newsletter and do get in touch if there is anything you'd like to share with us for the November newsletter, going out at the end of the month. Thanks as ever to everyone who has contributed to this one and, of course, to Tami Santos, who does such a great job editing and pulling it all together!
Hannah West and Lucy Wray
Co-Chairs of the Defence Research Network
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What we've been up to
Edited by Tamiris Santos
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Committee member Megghi Pengili attended NATO Edge 22: Technology in Focus
Hosted by the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency), the conference was held in Belgium on 25-27 October, and focused on digital transformation, innovative partnerships, acquisition and technology resilience. For further information on the event, click on the image below.
Meet us at Cranfield University's Defence Studies Doctoral Symposium, DSDS 2022
If you've ever wondered when we could meet in person, that is the opportunity! Find the Defence Research Network banner at the STEAM Museum of the Great Western Railway in Swindon, where the DSDS will be hosted this year, and let's chat! Also, we are glad to share that Robb Bloomfield and Megghi Pengili will present their work at the DSDS 2022. Robb's presentation at the 3M Thesis is entitled "Beyond the UN: The Feasibility of Conducting Peace Enforcement Operations in the Grey Zone of Cyberspace". Megghi's paper, co-authored with Tamiris Santos, is entitled "Knowledge Management and the Adoption of Innovation in Defence: The Case of PeSCo". For the complete programme and further information, click on the image below.
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Informal chat about fieldwork
Edited by Hannah West
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Having received a few questions to from PhD researchers just embarking on their fieldwork, we decided to hold an informal lunchtime chat for anyone that wanted to join us to talk about the challenges, ask questions and share experiences. We came together for an hour, some familiar faces and some new faces, and had a really useful session with some mutual reassurance form others in a similar position.
We talked about what it is like to interview military participants as a civilian researcher and as a veteran, exploring some of the different advantages of both positions, as well as discussing the merits and challenges of interviewing veterans in focus groups especially when talking about potentially traumatic topics. Many other subjects were touched on too and it was great just to hear what others were up to and offer support to one another.
I was delighted to get to know other researchers a bit better and asked everyone to share a bit more about what they are working on, so you can all get to know them a bit more too:
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Mariah Loukou is a PhD candidate in Military & Strategic Studies, focusing on furthering military education by incorporating female-perceived competencies and values. She is currently prepping the Methodology section, where she will conduct interviews to explore whether her argument is deemed suitable by military officers responsible for military education. Mariah’s published work can be found in the Journal for Military & Strategic Studies and Marine Corps University Press.
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Clare Pope is an Associate Professor and Head of Division at London South Bank University. She grew up at Headley Court where her father was Head Physio, and she lived there for 20 years. She grew up around wounded injured and sick military personnel and so when the Invictus Games was “born” in the UK in 2014 I volunteered (I am a Physiotherapist) to honour her Dad and her upbringing among that community.
She has a genuine interest in improving the health and wellbeing of medically discharged military veterans and hopes that her PhD research may contribute in some small way to that goal. She is just embarking on her fieldwork too when she will be doing interviews and focus groups within the veteran community.
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Karen Passmore is a librarian at RAF Mildenhall and a part time PhD student and share the following thoughts:
'My research focuses on the image of military pilots (with a focus on the United States Air Force (USAF)) as portrayed in popular culture, and covering both traditional aircraft and remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs, aka UAVs or drones). I am interested in how these popular images relate - or do not relate - to pilot identity in the USAF itself. Methodologically I am thus looking at a content analysis approach to movies, novels, memoirs, and recruiting material. To investigate pilot identity in relation to these cultural images I am planning on interviewing USAF aircrew past and present as well as examining some of the (non-restricted!) everyday spaces around USAF bases. As a part-time PhD student I am about to embark on data collection so I was keen to attend the DRN meet-up to talk around the issues of methodologies, access, and more within the defence context. It was very helpful to get some reading recommendations and to hear about the successes and struggles of others as they work through these sorts of issues.'
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Lucy Wray, our Co-Chair is also just starting on her fieldwork and shared the following reflections about the session:
'My research is focused on Military to Civilian transition which uses photo-elicitation interviews overtime to explore the experience of leaving the UK Armed Forces. I’m actively recruiting 12-15 interested people to participate. I attended the methodology session to connect with those adopting similar approaches in order to learn and share experience of how research can be done in this way. It was very useful to learn from those at different stages and the range of experiences shared. The session was engaging and felt like the start of a methodology series.'
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DRN Monthly Writing Group
Edited by Lucy Wray
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Friendly reminder for anyone who is stuck with writing:
The DRN Monthly Writing Group is back!
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 09th of November. 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.
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Policing and Private Security Companies
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How to navigate across the "turbulent waters" of defence and security as the state's assets and as a private business? And what about "walking over the thin ice" of the state's monopoly on the use of force, contested by the emergence of other actors who attempt to revoke such a prerogative for themselves? Our monthly theme encompasses these reflections and much more, including book recommendations, the views from researchers on policing and private security companies, and from our community as well. Here's our round-up!
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Talking security beyond the state - a general understanding
by Megghi Pengili
I have always been intrigued by the business-state relationship in defence and security. In March 2007, through the fellowship program at the George C Marshall Centre for Security Studies (Germany), I was given the possibility to conduct a research project under the mentorship of Dr Jack Treddenick. The project I came up with was about the Private Military and Security Companies in the Western Balkans and their role in the EU security Architecture. Through the coursework, research, writing, and interaction with other participants in resident programs at the Marshall Centre, I could enhance my general understanding of the topic, which in my view, consists of four main points: origins, definition and regulation, and challenges of the PSCs activity.
About PSCs. Since the first century B.C., state-level entities have supplemented their armed forces with private forces to perform unique functions. Initially, Carthaginians engaged Numidian mercenaries; the Romans hired Germanic mercenaries, the Byzantines used the Spanish, and the English expended Prussians in the American War of Independence. The Swiss Guard has been providing protective services to the Vatican since 1506 (Buzatu and Buckland 2015). In 1648, The Treaty of Westphalia, by establishing the state's authority over its territory, legitimated, as well, the state's monopoly on the use of force to safeguard its existence. 'This state-centric security model formed the basis for "collective security" in the UN charter’ (Buzatu and Buckland 2015, 7). The security vacuum created with the end of the Cold War challenged the state-security model with new threats which required more than a state-based response, such as piracy, organised crime, cybernetic conflicts, militias, and mafia. The variety of these threats is increasing alongside the number of private security providers that act upon state mandates, such as the case of using PSCs in Common and Foreign Security Policy (CSDP) missions (DG External Relations of the Union 2011).
According to experts, there are about 20 million private security workers worldwide, while the industry would be by 202,2 be approximately 460 billion (McCarthy 2017). According to research by The Guardian, half of the planet's population lives in countries with more private security workers than police officers (McCarthy 2017). At the EU boundaries, the Confederation of European Security Services (CoESS) is the umbrella of 45,000 PSCs with a yearly turnover of $40 billion.
Definition and Regulatory Framework. There is no unique definition of private security and private security companies. RAND defines personal security as ―companies or individuals providing all types of security-related services, including investigation, guard, patrol, lie detection, alarm, and armoured transportation (Strom, et al. 2010). The Private Security Task Force (PSTF), established by the Law Enforcement Alliance of America, expanded the definition of PSCs with policing tasks (Strom, et al. 2010) for physical/personnel/ system security; disaster management; counterterrorism; intelligence and crime prevention; protection of critical infrastructures. The Geneva Centre for Security and Governance (DCAF) defined private security companies as ‘businesses that provide security services on a for-profit basis to paying customers and are hired by members of the public, other businesses, and the state’ (DCAF 2020).
The private security industry in the UK provides for the protection of people and infrastructure. It is part of the ‘extended policing family’ and comprises different sectors. The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the authority that regulates the private security industry.
PSCs’ activity is also regulated by the Montreux Document (2008), the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers (2010) and the Draft UN Convention (2011).
Challenges & concerns. Most challenges relate to the violation of human rights (especially in migration cases) (Office of the UN Commissionner for Human Rights 2019). Nevertheless, in states where the rule of law is weak, problems arising from utilising PSCs concentrate on five areas: legality, access to justice, accountability, and operational independence.
Some recommendations (People & Reading list)
People:
- Deborah Avant at: deborah.avant@du.edu
- Mark Duffield at: M.Duffield@bristol.ac.uk
- Caroline Holmqvist at: Caroline.Holmqvist@fhs.se
- Martin Shaw at: M.Shaw@sussex.ac.uk
- Elke Krahman at krahmann@politik.uni-kiel.de
- Trevor Taylor at: trevortaylor@rusi.org
- David Churchill at: D.Churchill@leeds.ac.uk
Books and Papers:
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The Market for Force-The Consequences of Privatizing Security, Deborah Avant (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/market-for-force/0EAE220EDCBF4ADF88F97B6F7B1BDD10)
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Private Firms and the New Security Governance, Elke Krahman (https://d-nb.info/119129434X/34)
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Corporate Soldiers and International Security, Christopher Kinsey (https://www.routledge.com/Corporate-Soldiers-and-International-Security-The-Rise-of-Private-Military/Kinsey/p/book/9780415457767)
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PSCs in CSDP Missions
(https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EXPO-SEDE_ET(2011)433829)
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Routledge Handbook of Private Security Studies - 1st Edition (2015) (https://www.routledge.com/Routledge-Handbook-of-Private-Security-Studies/Abrahamsen-Leander/p/book/9780815347569)
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Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army (2008)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blackwater-Rise-Worlds-Powerful-Mercenary/dp/1846686520
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Private Security and the Modern State - Historical and Comparative Perspectives (2020)
https://www.routledge.com/Private-Security-and-the-Modern-State-Historical-and-Comparative-Perspectives/Churchill-Janiewski-Leloup/p/book/9781032173061
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Security Beyond the State - Cambridge University Press (2012) (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/security-beyond-the-state/06387FF08CDE27A33E5BF98984892B59)
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The anthropology of Security, Perspectives from the frontline policing, Counter terrorism and Border Control (2014)(https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anthropology-Security-Perspectives-Frontline-Counter-terrorism/dp/0745334571)
Links for events to stay tuned:
- Security Industry Association activities (SIA)
- Security magazine.com - Security 500 Conference, November 2022, Washington D.C.
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In Conversation with
Edited by Megghi Pengili & Tamiris Santos
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Professor Marcos Reis, Universidade do Vale do Rio Sinos, Brazil
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This month ‘In conversation with..’ met with Professor Marcos Reis.
Professor Reis holds a degree in Military Sciences from the Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras (AMAN), a master's degree in Military Operations at the Escola de Aperfeiçoamento de Oficiais (EsAO), a specialisation in Military Sciences at the Brazilian Army Advanced Command and Staff College (ECEME), a degree in Social Sciences and Law at the University of Caxias do Sul (UCS), a specialisation in History of International Relations at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), a master's degree in International Relations at the Fluminense Federal University (UFF), a doctoral degree in Military Sciences at ECEME and a PhD in International Strategic Studies at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). In 2014, he was a visiting researcher at King's College London's Defence Studies and War Studies Departments. He is currently a professor of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in International Relations at the Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (Unisinos/Brazil). He is the author of the book "The Privatization of War in the Contemporary World."
DRN: How did you get into researching the Private Military and Security Companies?
Professor Reis: Initially, I consider it important to highlight that PMSCs are private companies with commercial registration in their countries of origin that offer specialised services related to armed conflicts, such as: intelligence data collection; logistical support; training; supply; maintenance; security of people and facilities; drone operations; and, in rare cases, carrying out combat operations and replacing the armed forces. They are not considered by international law as mercenaries. It is also important to clarify that the Private Military and Security Company (PMSC) has a commercial character, and it is evident that we are facing a unique phenomenon that puts pressure on the state and on the way of doing modern warfare. I started investigating PMSC in the early 2000s, because as a retired colonel and university professor in the area of Defense and International Security Studies, I observed its increasing use by states, international organisations, companies, and NGOs in the conflicts of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa, and how this reconfigured the issue of the state's monopoly on the use of force. Although the use of non-state actors in warfare is a very old phenomenon, given the condotieris, pirates, the Swiss Guard, and other types of mercenaries, I noticed that the intensification of the use of PMSC in armed conflicts had occurred after the end of the Cold War when deepening my research. I also noticed that the state was no longer the only source of physical force in armed conflicts. Some military tasks were being privatised (given to the PMSC), which changed the definition of the state, its sovereignty, the monopoly on force, and the way military operations were done.
DRN: Do you think that PSCs/PMCs led to the emergence of a ‘new system of security governance’? If yes, how would you perimeter it?
Professor Reis: I believe that this process is still in its infancy, but it is very evident in current armed conflicts, such as Libya, Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Iraq, for example. It is necessary to consider the political, economic, military, legal, strategic, tactical, and doctrinal implications of the use of PMSC. They have a big impact on all these issues, but we still don't have a complete picture of the phenomenon. We are in the early stages of changing to something new, so it is hard to say what the problem is. With certainty, I can say that the PMSC is here to stay and that a new system of security governance is being born where the state is no longer the only provider of physical force in armed conflicts.
DRN: In your opinion, how and to what extent has the activity of private military and security providers change the frame of contemporary wars?
Professor Reis: As I said, the state is no longer the sole provider of security in armed conflicts, being partially replaced, in many cases, by the PMSC. That is, the monopoly on the use of force is no longer exclusive to the state, not even the specialised military activities in current armed conflicts. In addition, I believe that the impact on the doctrine of armies is great, as there is a relative dependence of the armies in relation to the performance of these PMSCs. Logistics is a good example. Imagine that the entire logistics of an army or a large part of it are privatised in an armed conflict and that, at a given moment, the employees of this PMSC go on strike. This will certainly have a negative impact on operations as a whole. So, we have to talk about the use of PMSC from the point of view of the doctrine. Thus, we can say that the monopoly on the use of force is being decentralised. The use of PMSC must be accounted for in the current army's doctrine.
DRN: Which authors/books do you recommend for initiators in this field of study?
Professor Reis: I would recommend the books listed below.
- Avant, D.D. (2005) The Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511490866.
- Axelrod, A. (2014) Mercenaries: A Guide to Private Armies and Private Military Companies. 1a edição. Thousand Oaks, CA: CQ Press.
- Kinsey, C. (2006) Corporate Soldiers and International Security: The Rise of Private Military Companies. 1a edição. London ; New York: Routledge.
- Kinsey, C. (2009) The Transformation of War: The Rise of Private Contractors. Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research.
- Krahmann, E. (2009) Private security companies and the state monopoly on violence: a case of norm change? Frankfurt am Main: PRIF (PRIF reports, no. 88).
- McFate, S. (2017) The Modern Mercenary: Private Armies and What They Mean for World Order. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.
- Seiberth, C. (2014) Private Military and Security Companies in International Law: A Challenge for Non-binding Norms: The Montreux Document and the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers. Mortsel: Intersentia.
- Singer, P.W. (2003) Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry. 2nd Updated ed. edição. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
- Report by Swiss Federal Council on Private Security and Military Companies - "The Montreux Document".
DRN: What are you currently working on? (in terms of new research)
Professor Reis: I'm still researching on the privatization of war and also on the transformations of the People's Liberation Army of China.
DRN: What is your favourite war movie?
Professor Reis: I would recommend two, The Schindler's List and The Bridge on the River Kwai.
The book authored by Professor Reis, entitled "The Privatization of War in the Contemporary World" (A Privatização da Guerra no Mundo Contemporâneo), is also a great start point for anyone initiating studies in this field and is available in Portuguese.
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Articles and Books about Policing, Private Security &
Private Military Companies
Edited by Tamiris Santos, Megghi Pengili & Hannah West
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October Twitter Hour: Policing and Private Security Companies
Edited by Lucy Robinson & Megghi Pengili
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This month’s #TwitterHour happened on Wednesday 26th October on the theme of ‘policing and private security companies'. Thank you to all who contributed! Below, we share the highlights. Let us know if you have resources, articles, events, books to recommend or share around this theme. #DefResChat
Question 1: Is the legitimate use of force the state’s exclusive dominion?
• Based on the very constitution of the States through the social pact, yes. And the issues of violating this monopoly relate to the absence of accountability mechanisms.
Question 2: How to explain the secrecy around the private security/military industry?
• Look into the work of @research_SPIN network and those they cite. There is a growing literature around secrecy and security studies generally. Also, in case something tangential is useful, I've just had a paper accepted at @millennjournal titled Accessible, transparent, progressive: conceptualising the militarisation of digital space through the social media presence of arms manufacturers. It makes use of some of the literatures around secrecy - eg. it uses @stamp's excellent work to unpick the relationship between exposure (knowing) and revelation (societal acknowledgement) in the case of arms manufacturers.
Question 3: Do you think that PSCs/PMCs led to the emergence of a ‘new system of security governance’? If yes, how would you perimeter it?
Question 4: Which authors/ books/journals do you recommend for people interested in this field of study?
• Paul Higate's 'Drinking Vodka from the "Butt-Crack": Men, masculinities and fratriarchy in the private militarized security company' (International Feminist Journal of Politics, 2012)
• For a Russian perspective on PMCs, I’d recommend the work of Bukkvoll and Østensen, e.g. Tor Bukkvoll & Åse G. Østensen (2020) The Emergence of Russian Private Military Companies: A New Tool of Clandestine Warfare, Special Operations Journal, 6:1, 1-17, DOI: 10.1080/23296151.2020.1740528
• "Survival" is a quite good journal.
• I'd recommend @amandachisholm5 and @saskiastachow's work on private military and security companies. It is rich and interesting, bridging security studies and IPE.
• Check out our network on the intersections between #private #security and the UN women peace and security agenda #WPS Women, Peace and Private Security Network website (wppsnetwork.co.uk)
Thank you to everyone who took part!
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What we're reading
Edited by Veronika Poniscjakova
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The Biden Presidency: Politics, Policy, and Polarization
Stephen J. Wayne
Whilst there has been a plethora of books covering the Trump presidency, there are very few books looking at the Biden administration. This new book fills this gap and is truly one of a kind. The book starts with the post-election days and the transition to power. It then assesses what president Biden and his administration did over the first 18 months, outlining successes and failures of his legislative agenda, as well as his foreign policy challenges.
You can buy a copy here.
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Security Dynamics in The Gulf and The Arabian Peninsula: Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities
Howard M. Hensel
This new book demonstrates the importance of the stability and security of the Gulf sub-region to the global community. The book first looks at the historical context of the region’s security challenges and power configurations before diving into contemporary security issues and challenges, such as the war in Yemen or COVID-19’s impact. It also evaluates the states’ policy responses towards these challenges. Lastly, the book addresses the interests of major powers, such as the United Kingdom, in the region.
You can get a copy here.
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Who we've been talking to...
Edited by Sally Coulthard & Tamiris Santos
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Suicide Bereavement UK delivers training, support and research on this theme. Dr Sharon McDonnell is a Churchill Fellow, ex-military wife and academic, who specialises in suicide bereavement research. She has been commissioned by the NHS and approved by the MoD to develop an Armed Forces (AF) evidence-based suicide bereavement pack. The pack will be designed so that it is relevant to serving personnel, veterans, reservists, military families and civilian families bereaved by an Armed Forces suicide. Dr Sharon is currently interviewing people bereaved by an AF suicide. Findings from the interviews, will inform the development of the AF suicide bereavement pack.
Further information about the study are available at this link.
Dr Sharon McDonnell is available for contact by e-mail: sharon.mcdonnell@suicidebereavementuk.com.
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New publication on insurgency authored by Dr. Alex Waterman
Dr. Alex Waterman is a postdoctoral research fellow and a visiting research fellow at the University of Leeds. His areas of expertise are counterinsurgency theory, doctrine and practice; order; Northeast India; civil wars and rebel governance. He is also a co-editor of the Civil Wars Journal. Dr. Waterman has recently published an article entitled "The Shadow of 'The Boys':’ rebel governance without territorial control in Assam’s ULFA insurgency" in the Small Wars & Insurgency journal. To access the article, click on the image below.
Other recent publications from Dr. Waterman:
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Events...
Edited by Tamiris Santos & André Carvalho
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School of Security Studies Joint Webinar
Tackling Uncertainty? Best Practices and Challenges of Defence Planning and Designing National Security Strategies - Date: 04 November 2022
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The webinar will address the challenges of modern defence planning and national security strategy design. The panel intends to support the Brazilian National Defence College (ESD), the co-host of this event, by drawing lessons, best practices, and difficulties from the experiences of the United Kingdom and small states. The panel will be presented by King's College researchers, Dr. Hillary Briffa and Professor Matthew Uttley, with the moderation of Mr. Raphael Lima along with Professor Peterson Silva, from ESD. Further details about the event and registration to attend are available here.
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Webinar 'Innovate or Die: how insurgents get to win again'
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Based on his recently released book, The Insurgent’s Dilemma: A Struggle to Prevail, Dr. David Ucko, Professor of International Security Studies at the College of International Security Affairs (CISA) at the National Defense University, will explore three particularly adaptive strategies and their implications for response. For details and registration, click here.
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Defence and Security Doctoral Symposium
Date: 09-10 November 2022
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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.
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BISA 2023 Conference
Call for Papers, Panels and Round-tables - Deadline: November 14th, 2022
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The next Conference of the British International Studies Association (BISA) is taking place is Glasgow in June 2023. In conjunction with the publication of the UN Secretary-General’s report Our Common Agenda, the Secretary-General proposed a Summit of the Future to coincide with the meeting of the UN General Assembly. Our Common Agenda provides a wide-ranging look at a variety of challenges facing the world today, along with proposed areas for development. While necessarily a high-level overview of such challenges, it can serve as an impetus for academics to consider what they may contribute to addressing such challenges. As such, it provides a useful organising principle for the BISA 2023 annual meeting. Further details are available here.
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Research with the UK LGBT+ Veteran Community Conference
12 January 2023 - Registrations Open
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The Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families Research in partnership with Fighting With Pride are hosting the first annual conference on research with UK LGBT+ Veterans. The aim of this conference is to bring together academics, the health and social care sector, local government, charities, the LGBT+ community and veterans to focus on the past, present day and future of LGBT+ veterans and their experiences during and after military service. Held in The Great Hall, Sutherland Building at Northumbria University on 12 January 2023, there will be keynote speakers, oral and poster presentations, organisations' stands promoting their work and opportunities for networking.
Registration for the conference is now open! Register here.
Note: If anyone is interested in presenting at the conference, the hub is currently seeking submissions for oral and poster presentations. More information on how to submit an abstract to present at the conference can be found at this link. An agenda for the day will be released soon.
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Screening of 'Magnolia Walls'
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Opportunities...
If you would like to advertise any upcoming opportunities, please let us know via email.
Edited by Tamiris Santos & André Carvalho
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Call for Applicants - Irregular Warfare Initiative
Deadline: October the 31st, 2022 |
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A joint venture between Princeton University’s Empirical Studies of Conflict Project and the Modern War Institute at West Point, the Irregular Warfare Initiative (IWI) is dedicated to bridging the gap between scholars and practitioners to support the community of irregular warfare professionals. Fellows play a critical role at the center of IWI’s mission. In addition to regular opportunities to engage with senior scholars and practitioners, IWI amplifies Fellows’ research and writing. Fellows obligations include authoring or co-authoring an article for IWI over the course of the year and participating in regular IWI events.Consider applying to join the 2023 Fellows cohort. The application form can be found at this link. For further information or questions, contact Gordon Richmond (IWI Fellowships) via email:
gordon.richmond@irregularwarfare.org.
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Call for Grant Applications
Deadline: December 1st, 2022 |
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The Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy was established in 1997 by Irving Louis Horowitz and Mary E. Curtis as a not-for-profit organization. Its specific purpose is to provide small grants to aspiring PhD students at the dissertation level to support the research they are undertaking for their project. Applicants can be from any country and any university in the world. US citizenship or residency is not required. Applications for grant are open until December 1st, 2022. Further information are available here.
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VoxNations Schelling Grant in Support of Public Opinion Research
Next deadline: December the 15th, 2022 |
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VoxNations Schelling Grant is an internal partial matching grant that aims to promote and facilitate impactful and methodologically sound public opinion research. The research grant is currently accepting applicants for primary data collection in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other network countries, and aims to assist doctoral students, scholars, and faculty with the research costs of primary public opinion data collection (both quantitative and qualitative) in those countries. The applications are due by the 15th day of each quarter (15th of March, 15th of June, 15th of September, and 15th of December). Further information can be found at this link.
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Call for Participants (Military Veterans)
(Online Survey for a research from London South Bank University) |
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Are you a military veteran who has been medically discharged from the UK Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve)? Would you be willing to participate in a research study focused on aspects of your physical activity, health and wellbeing?
This call is for military veterans who have been medically discharged from the UK Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve), to complete an online survey (link below), as part of an ongoing research of Professor Clare Pope, Head of Division at London South Bank University. Apart from being a professor, Clare is a physiotherapist who is genuinely interested in improving the health and wellbeing of medically discharged military veterans, having provided her personal background and volunteering at the Invictus Games in the United Kingdom in 2014.
The survey is anonymous and contains questions about your participation in physical activity, plus some health and wellbeing measures. You do not need to be physically active to take part, we need a broad range of participants. To complete and submit the survey should take no more than 20 minutes, full instructions, an information sheet and a consent form are in the link below. If you are unable to complete it yourself, you can have a person with you to complete your answers for you.
Link to survey: https://lsbu.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/phdstudy1surveyclarepope
Password to access the form: WIS Veterans
If you would like to find out more about the research, be sent a link by email, or request a postal copy please contact Clare Pope on popec4@lsbu.ac.uk.
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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.
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November theme: Life after a PhD
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We hope you've enjoyed our news, tips and recommendations so far. 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. 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!
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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.
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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
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