This one-day conference, hosted by Security & Defence PLuS, will bring together established leaders and recognised experts with rising and underrepresented voices to explore the future of strategy, security, and defence.

The Emerging Voices Series, which launched at Arizona State University in March 2026, pairs senior expertise with new ideas and talent, creating space for intergenerational dialogue and forward-looking debate. 

The programme will explore a range of themes including leadership and innovation in contemporary security, the evolution of deterrence and escalation dynamics, alliances and the Indo-Pacific, and the strategic importance of the maritime and undersea domain.

Speakers include:

• The Honourable Jay Weatherill AO, Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
• Vicki Treadell, CMG, MVO, Former-British High Commissioner to Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Samoa
• Jason Rheinberg, Head of Security Policy Department, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)
• Commodore Toby Waite, Head of Naval Staff, Ministry of Defence, London
• Peter Jennings, Adjunct Fellow, Institute of Policy Studies Australia; Former Executive Director, Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)
• Andy Start, Defence Executive and Former UK National Armaments Director
• Professor John Bew, Professor of History and Foreign Policy, King's College London and Former Foreign Policy Adviser to the UK Prime Minister
• Dr Kristin Lord, Vice President, Global Strategy and Engagement, Arizona State University
• Professor Wyn Bowen, Head of the School of Security Studies and Professor of Non-Proliferation and International Security, King's College London
• Sarah Cameron, General Manager ANZ, BAE Systems Digital Intelligence
• Dr Camino Kavanagh, Visiting Senior Fellow, King's College London; Fellow, UNIDIR’s Security and Technology Programme
• Brigadier (Ret) Dr Ian Langford, Executive Director, Security & Defence PLuS
• Professor Alessio Patalano, Professor of War and Strategy in East Asia, King's College London
• Dr Nicola Leveringhaus, Reader in International Relations, King's College London
• Dr Maísa Edwards, Lecturer in Foreign Policy and Grand Strategy Education, King's College London
• Dr Julia Balm, Research Associate, Freeman Air and Space Institute, King's College London
• William Freer, Research Fellow, Council on Geostrategy
• Dr Reyhaneh Noshiravani, Research Associate, Freeman Air and Space Institute, King's College London
• Steven Musholt, US Army Officer; General Wayne. A. Downing Scholar, University of Oxford
• Jake Thrupp, Senior Communications Advisor, UK Parliament
• Tara Kilcoyne, AUKUS Desk Officer, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)
• Tara Zammit, Analyst, RAND Europe; PhD candidate, Department of War Studies, King's College London
• Ashana Mathur, Disruptive Technologies Lead, British Army Futures
• Zoha Naser, PhD candidate, Department of War Studies, King's College London
• Haley Smith, PhD Candidate, Defence Studies Department, King's College London

Program Outline: 

• 9:00 AM: Opening Remarks
• 9:15 AM: Keynote Fireside
• 10:00 AM: Panel 1 - Experience, Innovation, and Leadership in a Changing Security Environment
• 11:00 AM: Coffee Break
• 11:20 AM: Panel 2 - Deterrence Under Pressure: Strategy, Escalation, and Risk in Contemporary Conflict
• 12:20 PM: Lunch Break
• 1:00 PM: Afternoon Fireside
• 1:45 PM: Panel 3 - AUKUS, the Indo-Pacific, and the Next Generation of Strategic Leadership
• 2:45 PM: Coffee Break
• 3:00 PM: Panel 4 - Securing the Undersea Domain: Maritime Power, Undersea Infrastructure, and Economic Security
• 4:00 PM: Closing Remarks 

This event will mark the second instalment of the Emerging Voices Series, with a third conferences planned later in the year at UNSW.

We encourage in-person attendance where possible, however, live-streamed participation will be available for those unable to attend in person.