From a security perspective, we have tried to lean back into Europe, we have asserted ourselves in NATO much more strongly as a leader… we have led the push for enhanced NATO spending at 5%, but we are always conscious that our core security and intelligence relationship is with the United States.”
Ambassador James Rosco MVO, Acting Ambassador and Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of the UK to the US
12 November 2025
King's College London Experts Lead Global Security Discussions in Washington DC
King’s College London experts took centre stage in Washington DC last month, contributing to high-level discussions on global security, deterrence and alliance dynamics as part of two major Security & Defence PLuS events.
The discussions included remarks from President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Shitij Kapur, as well as Security Studies’ Wyn Bowen (Head of School) and John Bew (Department of War Studies and former Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister).
Security & Defence PLuS (S&D+) is the flagship initiative of the PLuS Alliance, a trilateral university partnership between King’s, Arizona State University (ASU), and the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
Dialogue and Collaboration for a New Era of Global Challenges
On 21 October, S&D+ collaborated with New America and Arizona State University’s Future Security Initiative for the Future Security Forum. The Forum convened policymakers, military and government leaders, analysts and scholars to discuss the evolving landscape of global security, from diplomacy to national intelligence, defence technology to food security.
A highlight was the session on ‘The Future of the UK–US Relationship’, featuring Ambassador James Rosco MVO, Acting Ambassador and Chargé d’Affaires at the UK Embassy in Washington, alongside Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America.
During the session Rosco emphasised the UK’s global role post-Brexit and position as “a bridge between Europe and the United States.”
Turning to the war in Ukraine, Rosco emphasised continued resolve and called for renewed diplomatic engagement to "bring the parties to the table".
In a later session moderated by Professor Wyn Bowen, Candace Rondeaux, Senior Director of Planetary Politics & Future Frontlines at New America, observed Russia’s strategic vulnerabilities:
His [Putin’s] fundamental weakness is that he relies on ad hoc actors’ relationships and encouraging rivalries between potential leaders that might replace him in order to control the system.”
While regional conflicts highlight immediate security challenges, speakers also stressed that stability in the 21st century depends on addressing broader, interconnected issues that extend beyond traditional military considerations, including climate, food security and supply chains.
Across the Forum, the transformative power and potential peril of artificial intelligence emerged as a defining theme. Speakers emphasised the need to use AI as a tool, not a substitute, for human thought. Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) explained:
AI is transforming everything from decision-making on the battlefield to predictive maintenance… Our challenge is going to be how to strike a balance between speed and responsibility to harness AI’s power without making mistakes that could get Americans killed or even start wars.”
The enduring importance of human thought and character was a clear thread which ran through the entire 2025 Future Security Forum. Reflecting on his own career and recent book On Character, General (Ret.) Stanley McChrystal, explored the ethical foundation, discipline, and integrity required to act responsibly amid uncertainty and moral complexity.
Character is who we are… it’s measured not by what you say, not by what you write, but by what you do. In moments where it is tested, you’ll find out what your character is."
General (Ret.) Stanley McChrystal, Former Commander, International Security Assistance Force and Joint Special Operations Command
Understanding deterrence through simulation and stakeholder engagement
The following day, S&D+ gathered scholars, senior practitioners, and policymakers from across the AUKUS countries at the ASU Barrett & O’Connor Center in DC, for a day of simulation and dialogue exploring the complex dynamics of deterrence and regional security.
The morning featured a role-playing crisis simulation, or ‘war-game,’ designed and facilitated by King’s Defence Studies Department Senior Lecturer Dr Andy Corbett, with counterparts from ASU and UNSW, as part of a project funded by the Security & Defence PLuS Seed Grant Scheme.
Fourteen participants, representing fictionalised Indo-Pacific countries (with state names inspired by Terry Pratchett’s Discworld), immersed themselves in a high-stakes scenario set in the summer of 2030, when political tensions had escalated beyond present-day realities.
The simulation unfolded over two turns of play, designed to test how coalitions respond when states face conflicting priorities and pressures. Participants were challenged to balance deterrence, compellence, and the potential use of force.
Later in the day, a panel discussion chaired by Professor Wyn Bowen examined the latest defence and security reviews across the three AUKUS nations. The panellists, which included Professor John Bew, discussed how evolving strategic realities are reshaping priorities, testing frameworks, and influencing trilateral and bilateral cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
Professor Shitij Kapur, President and Vice-Chancellor of King’s College London, praised the event as an example of how academic collaboration can meaningfully inform national security and policymaking. He noted that university research, development, and innovation are vital national assets, pointing to citation-based country rankings as evidence of their influence in a new era of global competition. Professor Kapur also commended the three PLuS universities for leading the way in online education innovation.
To watch the full Future Security Forum recording please follow this link.
In this story
Vice-Chancellor & President of King's College London
Professor in History and Foreign Policy
Head of the School of Security Studies
Senior Lecturer in Defence Studies Education