Course features

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 takes 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.

You’ll examine:

• The fundamentals of defence acquisition, beyond procurement of equipment.

• The dynamics of global defence markets and industrial consolidation.

• The role of risk in defence planning and capability development.

• Organisational and political pressures that shape acquisition outcomes.

• Lessons from the FRES programme and their wider implications.

• How innovation, sustainability, and collaboration are transforming future acquisition.

With a strong focus on both theory and practice, the course highlights the dilemmas governments face when balancing national security, economic priorities, and operational demands. You’ll also grapple with the fundamental question of what “effective” defence acquisition looks like in an unpredictable world.

Led by Professor Matt Uttley and Dr Marc Schelhase, leading experts in defence studies and the political economy of risk, the course blends rigorous academic insight with real-world analysis. Learners benefit from expert commentary, contemporary case material, and analytical frameworks used by practitioners and scholars alike.

By the end of the course, you will be able to analyse acquisition strategies critically, assess the impact of risk and uncertainty, and apply lessons learned to future procurement decisions.

Whether you are a student of politics, international security, or defence studies, a professional working in policy or industry, or simply someone curious about the forces shaping global security, this course will give you the tools to understand and evaluate one of the most pressing challenges of our time. 

Course format

This course is delivered through the edX learning platform and is designed to be completed in approximately 5 hours.

What you'll learn

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Analyse dilemmas in national defence acquisition
• Explore structures of global defence markets
• Understand management and risk in acquisition
• Evaluate factors shaping procurement effectiveness
• Investigate political, economic, and strategic pressures
• Apply real-world lessons from FRES case study
• Reflect on challenges in future capability development
• Identify strategies for agile procurement policies
• Assess innovation and sustainability in acquisition
• Anticipate risks in evolving defence environments 

Entry requirements

No formal requirements. English proficiency recommended (IELTS Level 6).

Further information

King’s College London has partnered with the online education platform edX to deliver self-paced short courses to learners worldwide. Anyone can audit the course materials for free, excluding graded assessments, for a limited time.

For full access to the course, including graded assessments, and to obtain a verified certificate upon successful completion, the USD fee is $249.

The GBP course fee displayed on this page is for illustrative purposes only and subject to change in line with current exchange rates.

Payment for verified access to the course is made directly via edX. Please see edX Terms of Service for further information.