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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! After enjoying the summer, we are back with our retrospective December newsletter to share thoughts and discussions on 'Knowledge Exchange'. We have so much to share with you, from our plans for this next year's programme of themes and events to our opening event on research wellbeing as well as a 'PhD researcher spotlight' from Laura Rose Brown and 'In Conversation with' Dr Laura Considine, both from the University of Leeds. 


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 and Happy 2023!


Happy New Year everyone! We hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas and managed to have a bit of a break from everything. But we appreciate too that not everyone will have had the same experience over Christmas, perhaps because of being ill, feeling lonely or working to deadlines early in the New Year so we hope that if this is how it was for you that you are able to reach out and find support. And please know that we are a supportive bunch so if you are struggling with your studies or work, have just got stuck on something or need a friendly chat with someone who is going through something similar please do message us. And, of course, sign up for our forthcoming researcher wellbeing event later in the newsletter.

You will notice that whilst the broad theme of this newsletter is 'knowledge exchange', our research spotlights and 'in conversation' pieces have a more specific research theme of 'nuclear weapons' so we hope you enjoy reading some fascinating insights into a new area as well as learning a bit more about some of the researcher's in our community. Thank you so much to Laura Rose Brown, Emily Faux and Dr Laura Considine for their contributions to the newsletter.

We are excited to share our plans for this year's programme later on too and would love to hear from you if you have any ideas you would like to work with us on. We have made it our mission to try and connect with different networks and organisations so if you are part of one we haven't been in touch with then do give us a shout, we would love to have a chat and share what you do with our network. And if you think that you would be interested in being more involved with the DRN then we are always on the look out for new committee members both to share the workload but also to make new friends. 


And we have the fantastic news to share that we now have a readership of over 400 for our newsletter (and we tweet the content to our 3400 followers too). This is great news for all of you too because it means we have a platform to share your research to an interested audience and we know from the responses we receive that it is read far beyond the ECR community. So please don't forget to share your publications (we love to promote these!), calls for papers, events and anything else you have been up to (from reviews of events, books, podcasts).  

All the best for a refreshed start to 2023!

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

DRN Research & Well-being Event

For this first DRN event in 2023, we aimed to focus on the important and often overlooked issue of mental health and well-being in academia, with particular attention to the PhD experience. By providing a safe space to have free and open discussions on the issue, our committee members Lucie Pebay and Dr Veronika Poniscjakova will share their own experiences and the struggles they have faced during their PhD, as well as different techniques to help you manage your workload, reduce stress, and improve your mental wellbeing.

The event will be online on January 23rd. For further details and registration at Eventbrite, please click on the image below. We're looking forward to meeting you there!


Researcher spotlight
Edited by Megghi Pengili 
Name: Laura Rose Brown 
PhD title: "From #nucleargirlposse to ‘disarm the patriarchy’: analysing the effects of gendering nuclear weapons policy"
Institution: University of Leeds

'I’m a PhD student at the University of Leeds studying the intersection of gender and nuclear weapons. The PhD project is part of a collaborative studentship, which means I am also working with BASIC, a UK based think-tank focused on non-proliferation and disarmament, to develop policy-oriented outputs related to my PhD research. As part of the ESRC project, I’ve successfully completed an MA in Social Research at the University of Leeds. Before arriving in Leeds, I worked as a policy intern with BASIC on their Gender, Youth and Diversity and Nuclear Responsibilities programmes. Prior to this I studied at the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po Paris where I gained a Master’s degree in International Security. I also hold a BA in Political Science specialising in the Middle East from Sciences Po Paris'. 
What motivated you at first to undertake a PhD on gender and nuclear weapons policy?
When I finished the MA at Sciences Po Paris amidst the covid pandemic, it’s safe to say I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do with myself. In general, during my time at Sciences Po I was struck by the emphasis on ‘hard’ security that persists in academia so I quickly sought to broaden my lens to consider alternative perspectives. I was fortunate to have lecturers who (for the most part) positively encouraged this. At the same time, I’ve always been really interested in thinking about the roots of systemic inequality, and the mechanisms that sustain it. 

Whilst at Sciences Po for my Masters I took a class on nuclear weapons and quickly became fascinated with these objects that are portrayed as immanently menacing to our everyday lives whilst remaining largely intangible and far away.  It was during that class that I first read Carol Cohn and considered the way we speak about nuclear weapons in gendered terms. When the project was announced by my supervisor Dr Laura Considine, I couldn’t believe how closely it aligned with my interests and that there was the possibility to study this topic in depth for 3 years. I’m incredibly grateful for that!  
  
Please tell us about your research topic and what makes you passionate about this area of study.
Studying gender and nuclear weapons can imply a whole host of things: there’s the gendered impacts of nuclear weapons themselves, the gendered discourses that sustain nuclear weapons and their politics, the role of feminism in nuclear politics and the intersection of all of this with race, class and coloniality.  My project looks specifically at theincreased focus on gender in the realm of nuclear weapons policy to try and understand who is gendering nuclear weapons policy, how they are doing it, and critically, why! 
 
I’m passionate about it because it’s important! To what extent are stagnation on nuclear disarmament, the risk of nuclear war and the persistence and worsening of inequalities across our societies linked to one another? What would lessening inequalities mean for the future of nuclear weapons? How do nuclear weapons perpetuate and create injustice in intersectional terms? These are important questions, which will have and are already having huge implications for our lives.   
  
What books would you recommend and why?  
I recently read Ray Acheson’s ‘Banning the Bomb, Smashing the Patriarchy’ which provides an account of how the very recent Nuclear Ban Treaty came to be. For those interested in thinking further about gender, nuclear weapons, systems of production and anti-nuclear activism this is an excellent starting point. I wrote a review of this book for International Affairs which is available to 
read here.


Nuclear Desire by Shampa Biswas looks at the global hierarchies sustained through the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which provides the architecture for global nuclear governance. It’s a great book that encourages a critical consideration in postcolonial terms as to why some states can legitimately possess nuclear weapons, whilst others (the majority of states) cannot. 
And in case you missed it in last month's newsletter, we wanted to re-share Emily Faux's researcher spotlight given the common research theme....
Name: Emily Faux
PhD title: “Do nukes go “POP”? Nuclear Weapons in Popular Culture 
Institution: Newcastle University

 
'I have a BA in International Relations and an MA in Political Communication, so my background is interdisciplinary; spanning international politics to media and communication. What connects these disciplines is an interest in discourse, and how narrative affects global power relations and ideas. Following a module on “nuclear weapons and global politics” in my UG degree, I became very interested in the stories that sustain nuclear weapons - and the paradoxes and contradictions that uphold them. I began work as a research assistant on a project interested in the everyday localities of nuclear weapons. I began to specialise my studies, for instance, my MA dissertation became the beginning of what is now my Ph.D.: nuclear weapons and popular culture.'

What motivated you at first to undertake a PhD on nuclear weapons and popular culture?
'In general, I have always been attracted to the freedom of academia; to having the time and resources available to better understand your interests and passions. I am a huge advocate for “smart working”, and prioritising work-life balance, so in pursuing a Ph.D. I was definitely motivated by the freedom to manage my own hours and workload flexibly. More specifically, I was motivated by what I saw as a huge opportunity. I think often we talk about “flying a research gap” and our research fills a small niche in a field already well-researched. Yet when working on my proposal, I was struck by just how cataclysmic the gap really was - it really felt like no one was taking popular cultural representations of nuclear weapons seriously in the here and now. Once I started, I just couldn’t stop!'
 
Please tell us about your research topic and what makes you passionate about this area of study. 
'After studying nuclear weapons, I was struck by how little the general population knows about contemporary nuclear politics. My generation grew up fearing climate change and terrorism, not nuclear war. And yet we have never been more at risk than we are today, with every nuclear weapon state modernising and/or expanding its nuclear capabilities. This got me thinking, where do people get their knowledge about nuclear weapons? Where is the public thinking space for these issues? And I came to the answer of popular culture. Film, TV, and video game gives ordinary people a space to navigate the meaning of nuclear weapons. My research is interested in three key questions: who is presented as responsible for the invention/use of nuclear weapons?, are nuclear weapons presented as agents of peace or destruction?, and ultimately, are nuclear weapons presented as a force for good?'
 
What books would you recommend and why?  
'The first book I always recommend is “Nukespeak” by Paul Chilton. A play on George Orwell’s “newspeak”, nukespeak calls attention to the ways in which the language of nuclear weapons normalises and legitimises them, whilst delegitimising the language of disarmament. This language shapes the boundaries of possible debate and constructs the realm of nuclear weapons as one reserved for experts. This idea is further unpacked in “British nuclear culture”, by Jonathan Hogg. This book navigates the social and cultural impact of nuclear history in Britain, tracing tensions between “official” and “unofficial” narratives. Both are great places to begin questioning what is otherwise taken for granted.'
Publications from our network members
Edited by Tamiris Santos

Dr Laura Mills of the University of St Andrews' School of International Relations shared her most recent publication with us. The book chapter entitled "Facing Torture through Art and the Afterlives of War," authored by Dr Laura, is part of the book "Contesting Torture: Interdisciplinary Perspectives," published by Routledge in October 2022. It is her first publication to come out of her BISA Early Career Research Grant, exploring US military and veteran artwork in the context of recent controversial wars (Afghanistan and Iraq). To access the chapter (and the book), click on the image below.


Other publications authored by Dr Laura Mills include: 
What we've been up to
Edited by Tamiris Santos
Planning for the year ahead
by Hannah West

Our December committee meeting saw us plan our programme of themes and accompanying events for the year ahead and we are super excited to share with you some of the themes we have to look forward to this year. Each theme will be lead by a different committee member and we are hoping to hold events every other month (some online, some face to face). We have tried to select a cross section of skills and research based topics that span the broad interests of our network.
We'd love to hear from you if you'd be interested in contributing to or collaborating on any of these themes (from big ideas to small ones too!):
  • NATO
  • Research in complex settings
  • Research dissemination
  • Military history and museums 
  • Military leadership
  • Teaching
  • Faith and the Armed Forces
  • Funding
Christmas social
by Veronika Posnicjakova
 
On the 8th of December, we organised a virtual Christmas social, which, arguably, was a great success - everyone who came along seemed to have fun.

We did several Christmas-themed activities and played fun games. First, we did some holiday-themed icebreakers, and among others, we found out that Love Actually was incredibly popular among our members. We also played “the Naughty List”, and realised that some of us may be horrible people…  👀 
We also played a Christmas-themed “Scavenger Hunt”, and lastly, we held "the Best Bauble" competition. 

It was wonderful to see our members, find out more about their work and interests, and wish them happy holidays. We are already looking forward to our next Christmas social! 
Committee member Andre Carvalho co-authored an analysis on hypersonic missiles

Andre provided some thoughts about hypersonic missiles, particularly regarding Russia's latest missile launch during the ongoing conflict with the Ukraine. Key topics such as proliferation of missile technology and arms control, among other related issues are discussed on Andre's analysis, that can be accessed by clicking on the image below.
  
In Conversation with
Edited by Megghi Pengili 
Dr Laura Considine - University of Leeds
This month ‘In conversation with..’ with Dr Laura Considine, Associate Professor of International Politics, School ofPolitics and international Studies, University of Leeds.

Dr Considine is the Co-director of the Research Centre for Global Security Challenges. Her research interests include issues of language and meaning in the politics of nuclear weapons. She has  published research on nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and the role of language and narrative in international politics. She has also published research on trust in international politics. Dr Considine is currently working on a project on the role of gender in nuclear weapons politics and on a project on how to understand the everyday impacts of nuclear weapons.
 

DRN: Why did you choose as a research path the field of nuclear studies?
Dr Considine: I hadn’t planned to research nuclear weapons or to do a PhD, but I took a class during my Masters degree at St Andrews with Professor William Walker who is not only a nuclear expert but a wonderful teacher and that class sparked my interest. Now I find the topic interesting because nuclear weapons are not just strategic or military objects but have become embedded in our economies, environments, societies and politics in so many complex ways that I think it is impossible to understand the modern world without understanding it as a nuclear world.

DRN: What advice would you like to give to doctoral students and early career researchers engaged in the field of nuclear politics?
Dr Considine: As with any field I suggest that you read widely and with an open mind. Some of my favourite research on nuclear weapons comes from outside of politics and IR from disciplines including anthropology, cultural studies and literary theory. I also suggest joining organisations and networks whenever you can so that you can build connections and support as you navigate an increasingly challenging academic landscape. Ask for help from more established scholars and reach out if you like someone’s work.

DRN: Currently, you are working on a project that looks  the role of gender in nuclear weapons politics? What are your considerations, if possible to be shared, about the women’s role in deterrence and what imminent questions should be addressed pertinent to their role?
Dr Considine: One of the things that I and Laura Rose Brown (who is the PhD researcher on the project) want to ask is what does it mean to bring gender into the realm of nuclear weapons policy? To a large extent, the policy space has considered gender in terms of including women and increasing representation, which is a good thing to consider but not the only way in which gender might be at work in this space. So, one thing to examine is the role of women and what increasing the representation of women (and all genders) might change, if anything, in nuclear policy. But another issue is that of the gendered impacts of nuclear weapons in that the impacts of ionising radiation on the body are not standard across men and women. Another is that of the gendered discourse of nuclear politics and the tropes of masculinity and femininity associated with deterrence and disarmament and with the state as the protector through the use of nuclear deterrence. Many feminist researchers and activists have for many decades have been asking these questions and linking them to other issues and structures such as coloniality and race.

DRN: Your favourite museum/ book/ cake?

Dr Considine:
Museum – The Victoria and Albert in London which has beautiful design from around the world and is in a fab Victorian building. 

Book – I don’t have a favourite, but my comfort reading books are golden age mysteries from the 20s and 30s from authors like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, or the Sherlock Holmes stories. Especially in these days of such uncertainty and working on a topic that can be quite intense, the fact that there is always a satisfying solution and a resolution to the puzzle is very comforting!

Cake – My grandmother used to make a coffee and walnut cake that is still my favourite ever.

Knowledge exchange

Edited by Tamiris Santos
As a fundamental part of developing research based on sharing ideas, evidence, inputs, and outputs, knowledge exchange enables communication between the scientific world and wider audiences, bringing benefits for the researchers and society as a whole. However, how to link such a vital part of research and development with defence, particularly beyond student-led network activities? Are the universities and other bodies prepared to make it happen? Bearing this in mind, we selected some general readings about this theme, including the UK Defence Knowledge Strategy, in order to open this debate with you. 
December Twitter Hour
Edited by Lucy Robinson

As you may have noticed, our monthly #TwitterHour didn't happen this month! However, we are raring to go for January with our theme being 'Researcher wellbeing'. This is currently scheduled for Wednesday 18th January at 20:00. Keep an eye out on our Twitter page for further details. #DefResChat
 

What we're reading
Edited by Veronika Poniscjakova
Foreign Fighters in Ukraine: The Brown–Red Cocktail
Kacper Rękawek


This new book is one of the first ones to cover the topic of foreigners fighting in the current conflict in Ukraine. Largely based on interviews with the foreign fighters themselves, it looks at their ideological and social backgrounds, their motivations for fighting, and their battle record.It also evaluates whether these fighters pose any security threat to the West upon their return, as some may hold extremist views. 

You can get a copy here.

Military Strategies of the New European Allies: A Comparative Study
Håkan Edström and Jacob Westberg


This new book focuses on eleven new NATO members from Central and Eastern Europe, and analyses how and to what extent these states’ defence strategies have changed.It points out that these states share some similarities, given their experiences during the Cold War era and it also explains differences in their strategic adjustments, whilst taking into consideration different factors, such as military priorities, power dynamics, geographical factors and many others.
 
You can buy a copy 
here.
Events...
Edited by Andre Carvalho
Research with the UK LGBT+ Veteran Community Conference
12 January 2023 - Registrations Open

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.

Opportunities...

If you would like to advertise any upcoming opportunities, please let us know via email.
 
Edited by Andre Carvalho 
Call for Papers: Alliances Conference
24-25 March
Deadline: 15th January
The Nartional Army Museu will hold a conference on the subject of alliances in the history of armed conflict from 1642 to the present day. They are currently inviting proposals for papers or lightning presentations. Proposals for panels of three papers with a chair will also be considered. Papers that explore the history of alliances, coalitions and partnerships in the broadest sense, from any disciplinary perspective, in connection or comparison to Britain’s armies, including the Indian Army and other land forces serving under the Crown are welcomed. For more details, check NAM's website
Call for Book Proposals
'Challenges, Opportunities and Risks for US Foreign Policy in the 21st Century'
Martin Smith and Anisa Heritage (both Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, UK) invite authors to submite book proposals to analyse and examine shifts and transformations in U.S. approaches to its foreign policies as it responds to the changing nature of the 21st century international politics. The series is focused on the policy shift that uncover underlying conceptual trends that shape and inform the domains within which the US foreign policies are formulated and implemented. The editors are looking for proposals that transcend specific time periods/presidential administrations with focus (but not exclusive) on Indo-Pacific, Middle East, and Europe (Russia inc.). For more details, contact the editors via email through: heritagea100@dgw365.onmicrosoft.com (Anisa Heritage), and smithm505@dgw365.onmicrosoft.com (Martin Smith).
Call for expressions of interest: additional editor for the Journal of War and Culture Studies
Deadline: 31st January
The Journal of War and Culture Studies is looking for an additional co-editor. They welcome expressions of interest in joining the editorial team from scholars with disciplinary expertise from any field across the humanities and social sciences, research expertise in any aspect of war and culture studies, and professional experience from any higher education research context internationally. To express your interest, contact Professor Rachel Woodward (Newcastle University, UK) rachel.woodward@newcastle.ac.uk, and Dr Tom Allbeson (Cardiff University, UK) AllbesonT@cardiff.ac.uk.
 CfP - Critical Perspectives on NATO - Newcastle University (UK) - 25 - 26 May 2023

This two-day workshop takes place against the backdrop of NATO’s resurgence in the spotlight and capturing global headlines in response to the Russia-Ukraine War. Russia’s war on Ukraine, including the Russian intervention and illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, has gravely affected international security, not least by raising concerns about the threat of nuclear war. Within this context, the Alliance appears to be returning to its Cold War roots as its membership expands to include Finland and Sweden with Ukraine itself desiring NATO membership, all while renewing conversations about the opportunities and challenges of the Alliance’s growth in size and means. Although there is extensive academic interest in NATO, with some arguing that there is a body of scholarship on ‘NATO studies’ (Weber and Sperling, forthcoming), critical perspectives remain on the margins. The aim of the workshop is to bring together scholars and practitioners interested in unpacking the seemingly contradiction between ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ security within the workings of the Alliance. In this context, the aim is to focus on a range of critical perspectives (e.g. but not limited to feminist, queer, decolonial..) to address a number of related issues (e.g. climate change, Women, Peace and Security, feminist foreign policy, hybrid threats, digital diplomacy, nuclear proliferation, war preparation etc.) while simultaneously paying close attention to the Alliance’s relations with others across the globe (e.g. Japan, New Zealand and Ukraine). 

Paper proposals should be submitted via the online form available at: 
https://forms.office.com/r/sxs0bFmxcb

Please feel free to contact either Sorana Jude (sorana-cristiana.jude@newcastle.ac.uk) or Katharine A.M. Wright (katharine.a.m.wright@newcastle.ac.uk) if you have any queries.

 



Call for Participants (Military Veterans)
(Online Survey for a research from London South Bank University)

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.

 

Job Opportunities at Hertie School Berlin
Hertie School is currently with a series of job opportunities open for ECR, post-graduate students and research assistants. Check all the opportunities and ellegibility criteria here
Promoting Spykman Center for Geopolitical Analysis
Nicholas Spykman International Center for Geopolitical Analysis (Spykman Center) is a non-profit, non-political and international organisation established in 2022 to unite students, scholars, and experts to study, understand, and teach geopolitics. Spykman Center anchors itself in a rigorous geopolitical methodology to teach and produce efficient geopolitical analysis, promote geopolitics as a discipline, and provide educational and working opportunities for experts and students in geopolitics. You can follow their work 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.
January theme: Researcher wellbeing
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!
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 

The DRN team 
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