Professor Philip Sabin
Department of War Studies
Room K7.06
King's College London
Strand
London WC2R 2LS
Email: philip.sabin@kcl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 7848 2202
Fax: +44 (0)20 7848 2026
Office hours: Fridays 1.30pm-3.30pm.
Areas of interest
Ancient warfare
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Air power
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World War Two
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Conflict simulation
Biography
Professor Sabin studied History and Natural Sciences at Queens’ College Cambridge, and did his PhD in the War Studies Department.
He held research fellowships at Harvard University and the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He played a leading role in establishing King's academic partnerships with the Joint Services Command and Staff College and the Royal College of Defence Studies, as well as chairing the University of London's Military Education Committee.
He is a long-standing member of the Chief of the Air Staff's Air Power Workshop, appears regularly on radio and television, and has lectured throughout Europe and North America as well as further afield in countries ranging from Japan and Korea to Chile.
Current research
His past research interests have included British defence planning and public opinion about defence, but his main focus now is on the analytical modelling of warfare as a dynamic strategic and tactical contest. He has used this analytical approach to study two areas in particular – the air power contests of the 20th century, and the great land battles of the ancient world.
You can find more details about Professor Sabin's research on the web pages devoted to his two major recent books on
Lost Battles and on
Simulating War. His highly innovative use of simulation and gaming techniques for the modelling of past conflicts extends also to his teaching, especially in his MA option which is detailed further on the
Conflict Simulation page.
Recent publications
Professor Sabin has written or edited 15 books and monographs and several dozen articles and chapters on a wide range of military topics. His recent publications include:
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'Air Power's Second Century: Growing Dominance or Faded Glory?', Journal of the JAPCC, 15, Spring 2012
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Simulating War: Studying Conflict through Simulation Games (Continuum, January 2012)
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‘The Benefits and Limits of Computerisation in Conflict Simulation’, Literary & Linguistic Computing, 26/3, September 2011
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‘The Current and Future Utility of Air and Space Power’, Royal Air Force Air Power Review, 13/3, Autumn/Winter 2010.
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‘The Future of UK Air Power’, RUSI Journal, 154/5, October 2009
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'The Strategic Impact of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles’, in Owen Barnes (ed.), Air Power – UAVs: The Wider Context' (London: Ministry of Defence, 2009)
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‘Why the Allies Won the Air War, 1939-1945’, in Claus-Christian Szejnmann (ed.), Rethinking History, Dictatorship and War, (London: Continuum, 2009)
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Lost Battles: Reconstructing the Great Clashes of the Ancient World
Hambledon Continuum (November 2007)
Further details and sub-chapter available to download here. Revised paperback edition published in spring 2009.
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Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare
Edited by Philip Sabin (King's College London); Hans van Wees (UCL); Michael Whitby (Warwick).
Cambridge University Press (November 2007).
This work received the 2009 Distinguished Reference Book Award from the Society for Military History in the USA.
Download Professor Sabin's Select Publications
Doctoral supervision
Professor Sabin is happy to consider supervising PhDs in the following general areas:
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Air power history and theory
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Conflict analysis and simulation
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Ancient military history
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World War Two in Europe
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Contemporary strategy and defence debates