Professional Development Short Courses

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a fast-moving field, with dramatic research breakthroughs emerging regularly. Many of these have utility for national security actors, whether in the military, intelligence agencies, or policy-making communities. Accordingly, AI has a longstanding and deepening connection with national security. This course will help to contextualise these developments. It will explore the striking changes that AI is bringing to national security, including to military tactics and strategy and will investigate the ways in which culture shapes the employment of AI. It will also consider some ethical implications of AI in national security affairs.

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The rise of China in the Liberal International Order has caused much frenzy and uncertainty across the Western civil society. China as a cultural and political entity creates anxiety in those parts of the world where liberalism has dominated for decades if not centuries. Citizens, policy-makers, and military are still catching up on their knowledge of China and cannot confidently deconstruct the complexity of a country that hosts a fifth of humanity and whose foreign interactions have been characterised by much ambiguity. This course seeks to explore those areas of ambiguity where Chinese actions are causing security dilemmas for Western citizens, administrators, policy-makers and the military and to expand knowledge on China but also to learn lessons that can be applied in other areas of foreign/security policy. To achieve this aim, the course is structured around several topics, each of which seeks to address a "dilemma" related to China, by looking at a contemporary "case-study" while leveraging on an "academic concept" to stimulate lateral thinking.

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In today’s volatile security environment, innovation isn’t optional — it’s essential. Defence organisations around the world are under pressure to adapt rapidly to emerging threats, technologies, and strategic demands. But what makes innovation successful in such rigid and high-stakes environments? In this course you will gain a powerful understanding of how innovation works in the defence sector—and how it can be managed effectively at the strategic level.

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As modern warfare continues to evolve — shaped by new technologies, globalised conflict zones, and complex political landscapes — ethical decision-making has never been more crucial. This course offers an exploration of the moral, legal, and practical challenges faced by those engaged in armed conflict today and provides the intellectual tools needed to understand and navigate these issues with clarity and confidence.

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This course is designed to equip professionals with the tools to lead ethically in challenging environments. It explores why ethical failures occur and how to prevent them, how extreme situations can impact judgement, and how leaders can foster cultures of integrity through effective leadership and evidence-based training. The course uses real-world case studies, military contexts, and professional ethical standards to develop the ability to lead with principle.

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The Indo-Pacific is increasingly central to global security and diplomacy, yet it remains one of the most misunderstood regions. This course explores how culture shapes decision-making, perception, and foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific — equipping you with the tools to engage more thoughtfully and strategically with regional actors. You will examine how cultural frameworks influence judgement, cognitive styles, and political behaviour across countries like China, Japan, and others in East and Southeast Asia. You will gain a deeper understanding of how regional values, communication norms, and cultural perspectives shape responses to international events, including conflict and crisis.

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The Just War Tradition is a key framework for ethical reflection on war and conflict. With roots in classical and theological thought, it continues to inform modern international law, military doctrine, and public discourse. But how do we decide when it is morally acceptable to go to war — and how wars should be fought? In this course, you will explore the core principles of the Just War Tradition and how they are applied in contemporary conflicts.

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How do governments decide what military equipment to buy in an era of soaring costs, disruptive technologies, and shifting global threats? Why do some defence programmes repeatedly overshoot their budgets and timelines? This course will take you inside the complex world of defence acquisition, exploring the political, economic, and strategic trade-offs that underpin military procurement. Drawing on global research, case studies, and lessons from projects such as the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES), you will develop a critical understanding of how states manage acquisition — and why they sometimes fail.

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More than twenty years since 9/11, terrorist-related threats remain alive. Understanding counterterrorism and its dilemmas is therefore paramount. This course will explore questions on What is terrorism? What causes it? Who is a terrorist? Most importantly, how do we respond? How much force shall we apply? Can we legally carry out targeted assassinations in countries we are not at war with? Can we afford true intelligence sharing? How should the media cover acts of terrorism? What are the possible measures liberal democracies should undertake? After all these years, are we winning the "War on Terror"?

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This course is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to the topic of military healthcare ethics and to explore the issues of practicing healthcare ethically in the military setting. Who should be picked up by military medical evacuation helicopters? Should I withdraw treatment from a child burned in a cooking accident to free up an intensive care bed for a military patient? Should I declare a soldier unfit to deploy because they refuse to take antimalarials? Should I report a soldier who has declared their alcohol addiction to their Commanding Officer? Should I downgrade a senior non-commissioned officer whose medical condition precludes deployment and prevent their promotion? Should I administer a vaccination that I think is unnecessary? These are just some of the types of decisions that may face a military healthcare worker that have ethical and legal implications.

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This course seeks to provide students with a general understanding of sanctions, defined as the restrictive measures imposed by states or groups of states to achieve coercive influence in the international system. Sanctions are among the most frequently used tools of diplomacy. For many states, they form an important part of foreign policy and they are regularly deployed in pursuit of foreign policy objectives.

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In this course you will be introduced to the core concepts of strategic communications, frameworks of analysis, and different perspectives on strategic communications around the world such as China, Russia, Brazil, and South Africa.

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Warfare remains a defining feature of international politics, requiring today’s strategists and policymakers to engage with its evolving nature. This course explores the key concepts, debates, and characteristics of modern conventional warfare by examining how conflict plays out in five core domains: land, sea, air, space, and cyber. You will learn how each domain brings unique strategic challenges and opportunities. Whether assessing the utility of land forces, exploring the complexity of naval power, or understanding the emerging dynamics of cyber and space warfare, you’ll develop the ability to evaluate how these arenas interact to shape modern military operations.

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How do countries heal after war? What happens when weapons are laid down, armed groups are disbanded, and combatants must return to civilian life? This course takes you inside one of the most complex challenges of peacebuilding: the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants. Drawing on global research, real-world case studies, and practical lessons from the field, you will gain a critical understanding of how DDR programmes work — and why they sometimes fail.

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Over the course of five lessons, students will receive introductions into strategic theory and the method of wargaming. By the end of the course students should be well positioned to be able to evaluate if, when, and how wargaming might address some of the challenges organisations and individuals face today.

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