Protecting offshore critical infrastructure in a maritime century

With the development of British offshore wind farms – reaching an operating capacity of 13.7 gigawatts in 2022 – many coastal areas have become more important in terms of energy generation. More broadly, critical maritime infrastructure, of which offshore wind farms form part, is growing in strategic prominence. The United Kingdom ought to take the security and well-being of critical maritime infrastructure more seriously, particularly as geopolitics intensifies in the 21st century.

This event, held during London International Shipping Week, will focus on the growing significance of critical maritime infrastructure, as well as the key geopolitical and security risks it faces. Hosted in partnership between the Council on Geostrategy and the Royal Navy’s Strategic Studies Centre, this event will involve interventions from four leading geopolitical strategists and Royal Navy representatives.

Panel

Rebecca Favell

• First Sea Lord’s Fellow, Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre
  Rebecca Favell is a First Sea Lord’s Fellow at the Royal Navy’s Strategic Studies Centre. She has been a civil servant for over 15 years and has worked on maritime and international security issues for the majority of this time. Prior to becoming a civil servant she was an Administrator at Oxford University, overseeing the Asian Studies and North American Studies Centres, and the Pluscarden Programme for the Study of Global Terrorism and Intelligence. She read archaeology at the University of Nottingham.

Commander Jools Howe

• Naval Staff, Directorate of Strategy and Policy
  Cdr. Jools Howe serves on the First Sea Lord’s Naval Staff advising on Operations, Operational Policy and Maritime Security. Through his 30 year career, he has served on operations in the North Atlantic, Caribbean, West Africa, Middle East, and the Gulf on a variety of vessels including Offshore Patrol Vessels and Aircraft Carriers. He has also been employed in People and Training roles, as well as in the Ministry of Defence Press Office as the Royal Naval Spokesperson.

Commodore (rtd.) Steven Jermy

• Chief Executive Officer, Celtic Sea Power
  Cdre. (rtd.) Steven Jermy is CEO at Celtic Sea Power. He has worked for Mojo Maritime Ltd and James Fisher Group plc, on the installation and operation of offshore wind, tidal and wave energy devices, and led six large offshore renewables R&D projects. He lectures routinely on global energy transition and offshore renewables, and is a Fellow of both the Nautical Institute and the Institute of Marine Engineers, Scientists and Technologists and is the author of Strategy for Action: Using Force Wisely in the 21st Century.

Jack Richardson

• Head of Energy and Climate at Onward
  Jack Richardson is Head of Energy and Climate at Onward. He is also the James Blyth Associate Fellow for Environmental Security at the Council on Geostrategy. He was previously a Senior Climate Programme Manager at the Conservative Environment Network and a researcher for a Foreign Office Minister in the House of Commons. He is currently studying for a Masters in International Political Economy at King’s College London and previously read Politics at the University of Exeter.

Captain Kevin Rowlands

• Head of the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre
  Capt. Kevin Rowlands is the Head of the Royal Navy’s Strategic Studies Centre. He is also the Julian Corbett Associate Fellow in Naval Strategy at the Council on Geostrategy. He enjoyed a thirty-year naval career, of which twenty were at sea, and left in the rank of Captain. He has been the Secretary to the Chiefs of Staff Committee and other senior Ministry of Defence boards and committees, and was the Course Director for the United Kingdom’s Advanced Command and Staff Course. Kevin holds a PhD in War Studies from King’s College, London, and master’s degrees in defence studies and in education.

Moderator

Viktorija Starych-Samuolienė

• Co-founder and Director of Strategy, Council on Geostrategy
  Viktorija Starych-Samuolienė is Co-founder and Director of Strategy at the Council on Geostrategy where she is responsible for the organisation’s strategy and growth. Her areas of expertise include Eastern European politics and security and Euro-Atlantic geopolitics. Her previous experience included research and external affairs roles at the Henry Jackson Society. In 2021 Viktorija took part in the British Council’s 2021 Future Leaders Connect programme as an expert policy mentor. She has appeared multiple times in the national and international media and on broadcast television and is a regular attendee and speaker at the UK and international conferences on foreign policy and security issues. She holds an MA in Intelligence and International Security from King’s College, London, and a BA in Political Science from Vilnius University.

Tickets

Venue