The aim of today is not to promote or prescribe any particular view, nor to assume consensus, but rather to open conversations in which ideas can be interrogated.”
Harriet Thacker, Student Steering Committee
10 June 2026
The Future Leaders' Day of London Defence Conference 2026 at King's
Developed and curated by students in the King’s Master’s in National Security Studies programme, the event comprised a full programme of discussions moderated by leading academic and industry experts in security and defence.
Over 400 global delegates assembled at King’s College London for the Future Leaders’ Day (FLD) of the fifth iteration of the London Defence Conference (LDC) on 29 May to address important challenges, including geopolitical, defence, and security issues, as well as new developments in security in the AI era.
The theme for this year’s FLD was “Readiness”. The speakers discussed multiple ways to tackle societal challenges and maintain safety and security in an uncertain global environment through national and societal resilience, civil–military cooperation, protection of digital and physical infrastructure, climate‑aware planning, international partnerships, and privacy‑respecting digital systems.
Developed and curated by students within the King’s Master's in National Security Studies programme, the event opened with an official address from representatives of the Student Steering Committee.
Professor ’Funmi Olonisakin, Vice President (International, Engagement and Service) welcomed representatives from 14 academic programmes at King’s and 26 other UK and international universities, including partners from the US to India. The conference also featured nearly a hundred professional organisations.
With 96 professional organisations represented here, this conference exemplifies the strong links between our teaching, research, knowledge exchange and engagement with society through our professional partners.”
Professor Funmi Olonisakin, Vice President (International, Engagement and Service)
Professor Olonisakin hopes the students can see themselves as active participants in a global community of scholars, practitioners, and policy analysts equipped to contribute to thinking, building knowledge, and influencing policy and practice in a world that is rapidly transforming. She highlighted partnerships that underpin defence and security education and research, which contribute to the training of professionals working on security, stability, and conflict-related issues globally, especially the study of defense and security in partnership with the Cranfield University.
Professor John Gearson emphasised the event’s role in fostering security awareness, and cultivating an informed understanding of industry's role in national and international stability.
This Future Leaders’ Day reflects something that I and my team care very much about which is opening up the dialogue on defence. These debates and discussions are kept too often behind closed doors, and to be frank, they're shaped often by the same voices in the same rooms. Today is a chance for making space for new perspectives.”
Professor John Gearson, Professor of National Security Studies & Director at the Centre for Defence Studies
Emerging Tech and Global Risk
Professor Sir David Omand GCB, Visiting Professor in the Department of War Studies, former Director of GCHQ (the UK Signals Intelligence and Cyber Security Agency), delivered the opening keynote. Drawing upon his extensive leadership experience in the UK's intelligence and defence sectors, Sir David provided insights in crisis management.
He mentioned the revolutionary impacts of generative AI, agentic AI, and future quantum sensing. When asked about the challenges senior leadership in the government face when making decisions amid the changing phase of cyber, information, and hybrid warfare, Sir David looked directly to the young professionals in the room, “it’s in your hands”.
You have to manage these, really understand these technologies and use them, and those of you who then get to support the leaders are going to then be able to quietly really tell them what it's all about.”
Professor Sir David Omand GCB, Visiting Professor in the Department of War Studies
Throughout the day, panel discussions and debates pushed the boundaries of traditional defence frameworks. Sessions covered a vast array of modern security challenges, including the impact of AI on threat capabilities, critical national infrastructure, AI on the military and its effect on the nature of war, challenges of modern intelligence, the humanitarian-defence relationship, environmental security, European defence, and careers in security and defence.
Moving beyond discussions, the day featured careers insights, a fireside chat with Sir Richard Dearlove (former head of the British Secret Intelligence Service), and three wargaming sessions and crisis simulations. Run by King’s members and industry professionals, these interactive sessions forced participants to navigate geopolitical standoffs across the South China Sea, the Indo-Pacific, and the North Sea.
For participants, these sessions were an opportunity to apply the insights gained from the panel discussions into practice and to develop the judgement that readiness requires. In the wargames and crisis simulations, students worked with partial information, competing priorities, and scenarios where there was no obvious right answer. Participants were required to assess escalation risks, alliance dynamics, critical infrastructure, public messaging, and the wider consequences of decisions made under pressure. Participants reflected that the exercises offered valuable insight into strategic decision-making as a process of managing trade-offs, rather than identifying a perfect solution in situations where uncertainty cannot be eliminated.
The final panel of the day discussed readiness and resilience in land, maritime, cyber, air and space domains.
Diplomatic Reality and the Path Forward
In the closing keynote, Dame Karen Pierce DCMG, UK Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, reflected on her diplomatic career. She contended that the swift evolution of AI demands the immediate drafting of new international treaties and competency codes, echoing the nuclear arms‑control dynamics of the 1950s.
Dame Karen urged the future leaders to find ways not to “put the genie back in the bottle”, but rather to harness these forces and events in a way that enables countries to manage international relations effectively, supports open societies, and benefits ordinary citizens.
She offered the future leaders a tip: “Please do not think of so many risks”. She explained that focusing on an excessive number of risks can hinder effective planning, make it difficult to prioritise challenges, and distract from the most important issues that require attention. Instead, she emphasised that training, stability, and sound judgment are essential for responding effectively to risk and uncertainty.
Closing the conference, Dr Hillary Briffa, Senior Lecturer in National Security Studies Education and academic lead for the FLD praised the critical thinking and cultural challenge that delegates brought to every single session. She encouraged delegates “keep questioning, keep connecting, keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible.”
All of you have brought real questions to the panels, critical thinking, and cultural challenge to really every session, and this is what we want this conference to be about.”
Dr Hillary Briffa, Senior Lecturer in National Security Studies Education
As part of the FLD programme, the venue hosted the Defence and Security Industries Showcase, bringing together a wide range of organisations to present their expertise. PhD students contributed by sharing their research in the poster exhibition. It provided a valuable networking environment for students and industry professionals.
