The 2026 UK Deterrence Alliance Conference will be held on 14 & 15 April, at Bush House, on the Strand Campus of King’s College London (times and programme TBC). It will bring together experts, stakeholders and parties interested in the evolving character of deterrence in the current security environment. The events of the last four years have thrust deterrence and related effects such as resilience and coercion back into the current debate, and the evolving security situations in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region demand attention.

The Deterrence Alliance would welcome proposals for papers on any topic related to deterrence. Abstracts (200 word max) should be submitted to: deterrence.alliance@kcl.ac.uk before 15 January 2026.

The UK Deterrence Alliance aims to stimulate new thinking and contribute to UK and European expertise on deterrence and related topics such as coercion, assurance, resilience, and conflict escalation and management. Our intent is to develop the existing community of interest, including academic institutions, policy makers, practitioners and interested parties, encouraging new research on these topics and a new generation of experts in order to reinvigorate this important and increasingly salient subject; to ‘enhance our deterrence IQ.’

This conference intends to stimulate discussion on a range of important issues with a focus on representing the next generation of deterrence experts including, but by no means limited to:

• Russian invasion of Ukraine - implications for deterrence and assurance
• What is the role of coercive strategies in shaping security dynamics in the age of social media?
• Deterrence theory and practice in the 21st century?
• Is single domain deterrence or ‘grey zone’ deterrence achievable, or even real?
• To what extent can Cold War deterrence experience reliably inform deterrence decision-making in the Indo-Pacific region?
• Strategic culture – does understanding our allies and our adversaries enhance coalition and alliance deterrence strategy?
• Emerging disruptive technologies, modern strategy and deterrence
• Can we identify the research culture we need to inform deterrence studies in the future?

The Deterrence Alliance seeks diversity of opinions in submissions and speakers, and will be run in an inclusive manner with a culture that encourages constructive challenge. It encourages participation from experts and students at any stage of their career, especially those just beginning careers in this increasingly important area of international security studies.