At King’s College London, our mission is to make the world a better place through excellence in education, research and service to society. Since our founding in 1829, we have worked with governments, businesses and organisations around the world to address complex global challenges. This has included a long-standing and internationally recognised contribution to the fields of defence, security and international affairs.

King’s has a distinctive heritage and capability in this area. For more than sixty years, our Department of War Studies has helped shape global understanding of conflict, strategy, diplomacy and security. For over a decade, our Defence Studies Department has contributed to the education and professional development of the UK’s defence and security community. Alongside our research and teaching, we convene senior leaders, policymakers, scholars and practitioners through initiatives such as the London Defence Conference, creating space for informed, evidence-based discussion of the most pressing strategic challenges facing the UK and its allies.

Our contribution is not limited to research and policy. Each year, we educate students from the UK and around the world who go on to careers in government, international organisations, the armed forces, diplomacy, journalism, civil society and the private sector. Through this global community of students and alumni, King’s helps to develop the knowledge, judgement and ethical awareness required to navigate complex security challenges in a rapidly changing world.

This depth of expertise means that King’s engagement in defence and security is not new, incidental or opportunistic. It is a core area of academic strength, grounded in rigorous scholarship, international collaboration and a long tradition of public service. Our work spans strategy, diplomacy, conflict prevention, peacebuilding, cybersecurity, nuclear security, evolving technologies and the ethical, legal and societal dimensions of defence. Our focus is on understanding, preventing and resolving conflict, and supporting stable and secure societies.

In an increasingly uncertain and polarised global environment, universities have an important role to play in developing knowledge, educating future leaders, and contributing informed analysis to questions of national and international security. As one of the world’s leading centres for the study of these issues, King’s stands ready, as it always has, to support the UK and its partners in addressing shared challenges, while also equipping the next generation with the skills and understanding needed to lead in this field.

Our work in this area is conducted in accordance with UK and international law and in line with King’s values and governance processes. As the boundaries between defence studies and fields such as cyber security, robotics and artificial intelligence continue to evolve, we recognise the need to manage a number of inherent tensions - including dual-use risks, the balance between academic openness and necessary confidentiality, and the ethical questions raised by research that may contribute to the conduct of armed conflict. We address these issues through careful partnership choices, clear guidance for researchers, and robust oversight. We work collaboratively across disciplines and sectors, including with government, industry and international partners, with close attention to regulation, protection against hostile foreign actors, and the responsible conduct of sensitive research.

Through this work, King’s will continue to invest in academic excellence in defence and security, contributing research, education and global expertise that support the safety, stability and prosperity of the UK and the wider world.