War in the Modern World

Olaf Bachmann
War in the Modern World MA/PG Dip
War in the Modern World is a mind-opening course. This is not only due to the excellent teaching, or the material provided, but also to the wide range of participating students. Some of my classmates – for the majority of them, British citizens, both military and civilian – participated from their postings in the Middle East, others from ships on the high seas, others yet from their offices and homes in Berlin, California, or Singapore and some even from their barracks in Iraq or Afghanistan. You can imagine how interesting every single discussion unit has been! The success of distance learning depends very much on every single student's capacity for self-motivation. The constant challenge of new inputs from such a diversity of backgrounds and experiences significantly helped stay the course over a stretch of three years. But all was not "must read faster - must write quicker" as one would expect from an MA course at such a renowned university as King's College, London. It was also fun, even if most members of our cohort only met for the first time at the graduation ceremony.

David Betz
War in the Modern World MA/PG Dip
The Department of War Studies at King’s is a unique institution. There really is no place like it, or even close to it, when it comes to the academic study of war in all its dimensions in a civilian university of the top rank.



There is a greater concentration here of expertise and experience, both in the faculty and the student body, and resources, both online and physical, than any other place I can think of.



My research is on strategy, in particular British strategy, the adaptation of armed forces to the contemporary operating environment, and insurgency and counterinsurgency. I have a major interest in cyber warfare and I’m currently writing a book Power in Cyberspace in Theory and Practice which is out in 2011. I also head the Insurgency Research Group at King’s which has been involved in doctrinal work for the British Army, most recently on JDP 3-40 Stabilisation.



Most of my students are mid-career professionals working for their national military, or in some aspect of defence administration and policy, other government agency (foreign service or intelligence), international organisation (such as the UN or NATO), an NGO, or defence journalism. Anyone with a deep professional or personal interest in the study of war at an advanced level would find this an intellectually rewarding and challenging place to be.