Research & Innovation

The ‘Space Strategy’ project seeks to leverage lessons and tools derived from domains, significantly maritime, to advance understandings of the role of space in defence and security, in particular, the interactions between human exploration, science, commerce, law, communications, and military operations as part of a national strategy which reflects national ways of ‘war and peace’. It asks fundamental questions that revisit the ideas, tenets, and debates on space while challenging contemporary assumptions, guesswork and theories ranging from space forces, defence organisation, space doctrine, policy and more.

Dr James WE Smith designed the ‘Space Strategy’ project. The project, amongst other of Dr Smith’s work, supported the creation of Dr Smith’s appointment as the Laughton-Corbett Research Fellow in the Department of War Studies, a title specially approved by King’s Dean of Research. The Laughton-Corbett Research Fellow educates and encourages the use of the historical methodology––the analysis of experience––and advances research into strategic studies. This methodology forms the baseline for the project that seeks to codify, lead and mature the debate on future humanity in space and its influence on Earth while similarly exploring the applicability of strategic through such as by Prussian General Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) and British maritime strategists, Sir Julian Corbett (1854-1922), amongst others. The project not only reaches out across academic disciplines, like humanities and science, but also between nations, militaries and their service branches, government civilian services and related industries.