The Freeman Air and Space Institute, King's College London, is pleased to host an ‘In Conversation on Escalation: Applying Deterrence Concepts to Space’ event on Thursday 20 November 2025.

This event will take place in-person at IET Savoy Place, London (Turing Lecture Theatre) from 18:00 – 21:30. Doors will open at 18:00 and the evening will begin at 18:30. From 19:45, a drinks reception will take place for attendees to meet and network.

We are delighted to welcome Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman, Professor Christopher Kinsey and Professor Wyn Bowen for this insightful discussion exploring current deterrence and escalation dynamics and how this relates to new domains, including the space domain. The panel will also be joined by Dr Julia Balm, Research Associate at the Freeman Air and Space Institute, as chair for the conversation.

In light of the urgent call for the UK to develop a cohesive strategy for space in the latest House of Lords report, the conversation will consider synthesising strategy across domains, the role of industry in delivering space operations, and lessons to be learned from applying deterrence concepts to space.

With space control cited as a foremost priority in the UK Space Command agenda, new intellectual thinking is needed on what space control looks like, how it is delivered, and what the impact will be. The panel will be ready to discuss and explain 'How can we conceptualise the space domain within existing deterrence dynamics and across other domains?'

This event marks the conclusion of a King’s College London Policy Impact grant to research the concept of space control and escalation in the space domain.

FASI is delighted to collaborate with the Centre for Nuclear Strategy and Security (CNSS) at King’s College London to deliver this event.

Places are limited so reserve your spot today!

Meet the speakers:

Dr Julia Balm
Julia Balm is a Research Associate at the Freeman Air and Space Institute in the School of Security Studies, King’s College London.

She researches contemporary space power with a particular focus on the needs and motivations of current and emerging space powers. She held the first fully-funded FASI studentship from 2020-2023 for a thesis building a theoretical framework for the New Space Age. The result of this research project is a space power theory that utilizes interdisciplinary methods. Julia has advocated for an interdisciplinary approach to the space domain, working across the House of Lords, Ministry of Defence, Secretary of State's Office for Net Assessments and Challenge, and the Defence Academy to deliver research on cross sector strategy and pan-governmental approaches to security challenges.

Julia teaches officer courses on air and space power at the Joint Services Command and Staff College for the Royal Air Force. She was a Junior Non-Resident Associate Fellow in the NATO Defence College 2024-2025.

Julia holds a PhD in space strategy and an MA in Non-Proliferation and International Security from King’s College London as well as an Honours BA from the University of Toronto.

Professor Wyn Bowen
Wyn Bowen is Professor of Non-proliferation and International Security in the Department of War Studies and Co-Director of the Freeman Air & Space Institute in the School of Security Studies, King's College London. He is also the King’s lead for the Security and Defence PLuS (S&D+) research and education collaboration between Arizona State University, King’s and the University of New South Wales (Sydney/Canberra). Bowen served as Head of the School of Security Studies between 2016 - 2022. Prior to this from 2014 he was Head of Department/Dean of Academic Studies of the Defence Studies Department, based at the Joint Services Command and Staff College (JSCSC) at the UK Defence Academy. Prior to April 2014, he was Director of the Centre for Science and Security Studies (2007-2014).

Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman
Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman is Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College London. He was Professor of War Studies from 1982 to 2014 and Vice-Principal from 2003 to 2013.He was educated at Whitley Bay Grammar School and the Universities of Manchester, York and Oxford. Before joining King's he held research appointments at Nuffield College Oxford, the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Royal Institute of International Affairs. Elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1995 and awarded the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 1996, he was appointed Official Historian of the Falklands Campaign in 1997. In 2003, he was awarded the KCMG (Knight Commander of St Michael and St George). In June 2009 he was appointed to serve as a member of the official inquiry into Britain and the 2003 Iraq War.

He has written on international history, strategic theory and nuclear weapons issues, as well as commenting on current security issues. Among his recent books are Strategy: A History (2013), the Future of War: A History (2017), Ukraine and the Art of Strategy (2019) and, with Jeff Michaels, the 4th edition of The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy (2019). He is currently working on a book on the Politics of Command.

Professor Christopher Kinsey
Christopher is a member of King’s College London, Defence Studies Department at the Joint Services Command and Staff College, where he teaches military officers from around the world. His research examines the role of the market in conflict, with a particular focus on the role of private military and security companies in international security and outsourcing military logistics. Christopher has published widely from books, book chapters and articles in leading academic journals on the subject. He has also presented papers to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, the UN, NATO and the EU. Christopher’s present research is concerned with the regulation of private military and security companies, the impact of contracted logistical support to military expeditionary operations, and mercenary operations in Africa during and after the Cold War. His previous books include The Mercenary: An Instrument of State Coercion, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023, Corporate Soldiers and International Security, London: Routledge, 2006; the Edited Volume, Contractors and War: The Transformation of United States’ Military and Stabilization Operations, USA: Stanford University Press; and the Edited Volume, Embassies Under Siege: Diplomatic Security Policies Compared, California: Stanford University Press, 2019.

Disclaimer: For in-person events, we have a policy for overbooking for places given dropout rates on the day, so please ensure you arrive in good time to avoid disappointment on the night.

For any ticket enquiries please email fasi@kcl.ac.uk