News archive 2009

Defence policy speech at King's

15 Sep 2009, PR 188/09

The Centre for Defence Studies (CDS) yesterday (15 September) hosted a visit to the Strand Campus by the Secretary of State for Defence, the Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth MP, to give his first public speech on the forthcoming Defence Review. The visit was chaired by the Director of the CDS, Dr John Gearson.



The Secretary of State addressed an audience of leading academics, King’s College students and senior military, diplomatic and defence industry figures.

His speech, entitled “Fitting Defence for the Future: towards the next Strategic Defence Review” focused upon the Defence Green Paper that will form the opening work of the Defence Review, the second major strategic review of UK defence policy since Labour came to power in 1997. It will have far-reaching implications for the UK’s future defence posture, foreign policy and international status. The speech was the opening address in a series of upcoming events being hosted by the Centre for Defence Studies on the Defence Review and its ramifications for the UK.  

 The Secretary of State was welcomed by the Professor Keith Hoggart, Vice Principal (Arts & Sciences), Professor Denise Lievesley, Head of the School of Social Science and Public Policy, Professor Mervyn Frost, Head of the Department of War Studies, and Dr Gearson.

Dr Gearson said: 'We were delighted to host this important speech on the forthcoming defence review, which highlighted some of the challenges which face defence planners in approaching the review.

'The Centre for Defence Studies will be taking up the Secretary of State’s invitation to support the work of the review by facilitating a series of workshops and seminars on specific aspects of the Defence Green Paper, in advance of the full strategic defence review which is scheduled to follow the General Election.

'The Conservative’s Shadow Security Minister, Dame Pauline Neville Jones, has already agreed to speak on ‘National Security Strategy and the role of defence’ later in the autumn.'



Notes to editors

The Centre for Defence Studies (CDS)
The Centre for Defence Studies (CDS) engages in research at the highest level on British, European and international defence and security issues. CDS was established at King’s College London in 1990, with a grant from the UK Ministry of Defence but is now fully independent.
 
CDS operates in three distinct, but overlapping research areas: Academic, Public Policy and Corporate Consultancy. CDS has an international staff of academic policy researchers, practitioners, associates and visiting fellows. The Director of CDS is Dr John Gearson. http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/sspp/ws/research/groups/cds/

Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth MP
Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth MP was appointed Secretary of State for Defence on 5 June 2009. Since 29 June 2007 Mr Ainsworth has been Minister of State for the Armed Forces.  Mr Ainsworth was Coventry City Councillor between 1984 - 1992 when he held the positions of Deputy Leader of the Council and Chairman of the Finance Committee. He was elected to Parliament in 1992 and served on the Environment Select Committee. He was appointed a Whip in 1995.

In Government he has been Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury 1997-2001 (Government Whip), Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions January 2001-June 2001, Home Office Minister with responsibility for Drugs and organised Crime 2001 - June 2003, when he was appointed as Government Deputy Chief Whip.



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