The Sea Power Laboratory is the new generation research and engagement programme to generate maritime thinking. It fosters a systemic approach comprising political, policy, industrial and other stakeholders, to achieve strategic understanding of how Britain can mobilise and deploy sea power to promote national prosperity and protect the nation’s interests. The Laboratory tests new ideas, generates innovative policy recommendations, convenes key stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, nurtures a next-generation maritime community, and disseminates maritime discourse to the wider public.
Latest research
Events and engagements
The Sea Power Laboratory convenes key stakeholders through a programme of events. Quarterly dinners enable the conversation with a diverse group of stakeholders on the key maritime issues.
The Sea Power Series roundtable hosts key figures from naval and defence attaches based in London to discuss key naval developments in their seas, their work with our Navy, and common challenges and opportunities. The Series is kindly sponsored by Honorary Chairman Dr Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter OBE.
Past Events
Sea Power Laboratory research
The Sea Power Laboratory tests new ideas and generates policy recommendations through its research.
Our Policy Papers, Primers, and articles in Britain’s World – our online Magazine – will develop the themes explored at the First Sea Lord’s Sea Power Conference 2024 and help the Royal Navy to develop and articulate its vision for 2040.
Media coverage
Sea power themed articles on Britains’ World
The Lepanto trap: Capacity after the first salvo (06/03/2025) – By Dr Nicolas Mazzucchi
Learning from Ukraine: Naval drones and strategic advantage (03/03/2025) – By H I Sutton
It’s time to invest in the Royal Navy (27/02/2025) – By Dr Emma Salisbury
Carrier strike groups: The European commitment to the Indo-Pacific (10/02/2025) – By Dr Emma Salisbury
Russian ‘research’ vessel in British waters highlights growing threat (30/01/2025) – By Dr Emma Salisbury
Welcome to The Signal – Your monthly maritime newsletter (09/01/2025) – By Dr Emma Salisbury
Protecting trade in contested waters (23/12/2024) – By Charlotte Kleberg
The case for a British task force in the Black Sea (28/11/2024) – By James Rogers and George Scrutaru
A turning point for British-German naval cooperation (25/11/2024) – By James Shelley
The strategic threat and operational context for British defence, 2024-2050 (16/10/2024) – By Basil Germond
Maritime Leaders’ Programme
The Maritime Leaders’ Programme aims to foster a dynamic network of young professionals and future leaders in maritime affairs. The programme will include quarterly mentoring and engagement sessions with key figures from the Royal Navy, Whitehall, academia, and industry, covering topics such as operations, defence policy, strategy, and technological shifts. Each session will feature presentations, workshops, and networking opportunities. Participants will also have the chance to develop thought leadership and publish articles on maritime topics on the Council on Geostrategy platform.
The sessions will take place at the Army and Navy Club in London, with applications opening in December 2024 and selections completed by March 2025. The programme will include four sessions in 2025 starting from April 2025.
Applications for the Maritime Leaders’ Programme are now closed.
The Maritime Leaders’ Programme is kindly sponsored by Wallenius Lines.
News
The Council on Geostrategy launches the Sea Power Laboratory
The Council on Geostrategy launches its new research project, the ‘Sea Power Laboratory’
Leadership
Viktorija Starych-Samuolienė
Co-founder and Director of StrategyAreas of expertise: Eastern European, Baltic politics and security and Euro-Atlantic geopolitics
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. She is also a Fellow of the Durham Institute of Research, Development, and Invention (DIRDI). 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. Viktorija has appeared multiple times in the national and international media and on broadcast television and is a regular attendee and speaker at British 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.
Viktorija has appeared on Times Radio, Sky News, Al Jazeera, The Sun and LBC Radio, written for Times Red Box and Centre Write and been quoted in The Times, Newsweek, The Sunday Express and the Mail Online.
James Rogers
Co-Founder and Director of ResearchMain areas of expertise: British geostrategic and maritime power, and Euro-Atlantic, Indo-Pacific and Polar geopolitics
James Rogers is Co-founder and Director of Research at the Council on Geostrategy, where he specialises in geopolitics and British strategic policy. Previously, he held positions at the Henry Jackson Society, the Baltic Defence College, and the European Union Institute for Security Studies. He has been invited to give oral evidence at the Foreign Affairs, Defence, European Affairs, and International Development committees in the Houses of Parliament. He holds an MPhil in Contemporary European Studies from the University of Cambridge and an award-winning BSc Econ (Hons) in International Politics and Strategic Studies from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.
James has appeared on Times Radio, Sky News and LBC Radio and has written for Times Red Box, the Kyiv Independent, The Spectator and CityAM and been quoted in Newsweek.
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0044 (0) 20 3915 5627
Dr Kevin Rowlands
Head of the Royal Navy’s Strategic Studies CentreMain areas of expertise: Sea power, naval diplomacy, maritime policy and strategy
Dr Kevin Rowlands is the Head of the Royal Navy’s Strategic Studies Centre, an internal Ministry of Defence think tank which aims to inform senior policy and strategy decision-makers. He enjoyed a naval career for 30 years, of which 20 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, an MA in Defence Studies and an MA in Education.
Experts and associates
Dr Emma Salisbury
Research Fellow (Sea Power)Main areas of expertise: Military innovation, defence industrial base, military procurement, British and American defence policy.
Dr Emma Salisbury is a Research Fellow at the Council on Geostrategy. She is also an Associate Fellow at the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre in the Ministry of Defence, a senior staffer for a Member of Parliament and an Assistant Editor at War on the Rocks. Emma holds a PhD in Military Innovation and an MSc in Middle Eastern Politics from Birkbeck, University of London and an MA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Christ Church College, University of Oxford.
Email: emma@geostrategy.org.uk
Telephone: 0044 (0) 20 3915 5625
Benedict Baxendale-Smith
Associate FellowMain areas of expertise: Defence and security, UK defence policy, US defence policy, and sea power
Benedict Baxendale-Smith is a doctoral researcher in the Department of Defence Studies at King’s College London, researching the role of the maritime-air domain in the Indo-Pacific strategies of Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. In addition to working for a Member of Parliament, he has previously held a position at the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington, DC. He holds an MA in International Relations with distinction from Durham University.
Prof. Tim Edmunds
Associate FellowMain area of expertise: Maritime security policy, capacity building, security sector reform
Professor Tim Edmunds is Professor of International Security and Research Director in the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies at the University of Bristol. He is also co-director of the SafeSeas network on maritime security, a trustee of the British International Studies Association, and chair of the Bristol Military Education Committee. His work addresses issues of security policy, capacity building and security sector reform, with focus on the maritime domain. He has previously held roles at King’s College London, the Joint Services Command and Staff College, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and the University of Nottingham. He holds a PhD in History from the University of Sheffield.
Charlotte Kleberg
Associate FellowMain areas of expertise: Defence and security, maritime security, naval strategy, and sea power.
Charlotte Kleberg holds various project and board advisory roles in the Ro-Ro shipping sector through Wallenius Lines, Wallenius Marine, and United European Car Carriers. She is also an Associate Fellow of the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre. Previously, she was a junior analyst in RAND Europe’s Defence and Security team. Charlotte is particularly interested in contributing to the dialogue between the Navy and the commercial shipping sector to find solutions to maritime security challenges and facilitate greater understanding. She holds an MA from King’s College London and an MSc from the Swedish Defence University. Her research focused on maritime strategy and naval strategic theory, exploring aircraft carrier survivability in the context of U.S.-China competition at sea.
Jennifer Parker
Associate FellowMain areas of expertise: Defence policy, military strategy, military operations, force design, maritime security, and international maritime law
Jennifer Parker is an Expert Associate in the National Security College at the Australian National University and an Adjunct Fellow in Naval Studies at the University of New South Wales, Canberra. Previously, she served in the Royal Australian Navy for over 20 years, including as a Principal Warfare Officer and undertook specialist training with the Royal Navy in anti-submarine warfare. Her last appointment in Australia’s navy was as Director of Operations in Bahrain of the Combined Maritime Forces, a 38-nation coalition promoting national security in the Middle East and Indian Ocean region. She has been admitted to the ACT Supreme Court as a legal practitioner.
Prof. Alessio Patalano
Associate FellowMain areas of expertise: Sea power and Maritime Strategy
Professor Alessio Patalano is a Professor of War and Strategy in East Asia in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. At the Department of War Studies, he is part of the Centre for Grand Strategy where he leads the King’s Japan Programme, and specialises in Japanese naval history and strategy and contemporary maritime issues in East Asia. Alessio is the Director of the Asian Security and Warfare Research Group and a Research Associate at the King’s China Institute. Since 2006, he has been a Visiting Lecturer in Naval Strategy and East Asian Security at the Italian Naval War College, Venice.
Dr Deborah Saunders
Associate FellowMain area of expertise: Maritime security and maritime power in the Black Sea, small navies strategy and policy, Ukraine’s military transformation and conflict termination
Dr Deborah Saunders is a Professor of Contemporary Conflict and Strategy in the Defence Studies Department, King’s College London at the UK Joint Services Command and Staff College where she specialises in security issues in the Black Sea Region. She is an advisor to NATO on maritime issues in the Black Sea and is also a Visiting Fellow at the UK Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre. She regularly visits the Black Sea region and has a wide range of publications exploring maritime power and maritime security in the region, Ukraine’s military transformation, conflict termination as well as the challenges of building and sustaining small navies in the twenty-first century.
Julien Lalanne de Saint-Quentin
Associate FellowMain areas of expertise: Comparative studies, public international law (armed conflicts, maritime, treaties), naval strategy, British-French relations
Julien Lalanne de Saint-Quentin was an officer in the Marine Nationale for 27 years. He commanded a number of warships and served in the French and British ministries of defence in strategy and policy roles. He was also Naval Attaché to the French Embassy in London. Julien also teaches defence at Sciences Po, Paris, and Franco-British relations at King’s College, London. He was educated at the Ecole Navale, Brest, and the Ecole de Guerre, Paris, and holds an LLM in Public International Law from University College London.
Advisory Council
Simon Bird
Member of the Advisory CouncilSimon Bird is currently the Humber Director at Associated British Ports (ABP), and Director of KNOT Offshore Partners. Previously, he served as Executive Director of ABP, Chief Executive of the Bristol Port Company and was a Board Member at the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, International Water Limited, and British Aerospace. In addition, Simon is a member of the Board of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and an Honorary Officer in the Royal Naval Reserve, in the rank of Captain.
V. Adm. Burns
Member of the Advisory CouncilVice Admiral Andrew Burns CB OBE currently serves as Fleet Commander, a position he has held since September 2021, commanding all operational arms of the Royal Navy. Previously, he has commanded the mine countermeasures vessel HMS Berkeley, the frigate HMS Somerset, and the amphibious assault ship HMS Bulwark. He is an Associate Member of the Royal College of Defence Studies and holds an MA in Defence Studies from King’s College London. He joined the Royal Navy in 1989 as a University Cadet.
The Rt. Hon. Sir Michael Fallon
Member of the Advisory CouncilThe Rt. Hon. Sir Michael Fallon KCB is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 2014 to 2017. He served as the Member of Parliament for Sevenoaks from 1997 to 2019, having previously served for Darlington from 1983 to 1992. He served as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2010 to 2012 and Minister of State for Business and Enterprise from 2012 to 2014. Sir Michael also served as Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change from 2013 to 2014 and Minister of State for Portsmouth in 2014, before being appointed Defence Secretary under both David Cameron and Theresa May.
Richard Foord MP
Member of the Advisory CouncilRichard Foord MP has been a Member of Parliament for Honiton and Sidmouth since 2024. He represented Tiverton and Honiton from 2022 to 2024. He served in the British Army as an education officer between 2000 and 2010, including on postings to Kosovo, Iraq and at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. He then worked at the universities of Exeter and Oxford on international partnerships, focusing more recently on the security of sensitive research at British universities.
R. Adm. Rhett Hatcher (Rtd.)
Member of the Advisory CouncilRear Admiral Rhett Hatcher (Rtd.) is the CEO of the Chamber of Shipping. Prior to this, he was UK National Hydrographer, Deputy Chief Executive, and Director for Defence and Data Acquisition at the UK Hydrographic Office. He has held various roles in the Royal Navy and commanded HM Ships Penzance, Bulwark, and Protector, as well as 815 Naval Air Squadron. Rhett has worked across government departments in Whitehall developing policy options on strategic analysis, military capability, counter-terrorism, Joint operations, and international security. Rhett holds an MA from King’s College London and is a Younger Brother of Trinity House and an Honorary Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers.
The Lord Mountevans
Member of the Advisory CouncilJeffrey Evans, 4th Baron Mountevans, has spent a lifetime in maritime affairs. He has been a career shipbroker with the leading international firm of Clarksons Platou, has chaired two national maritime trade associations and has held a number of senior maritime industry positions. He was elected to sit in the House of Lords as a crossbench hereditary peer in July 2015. He served as the 688th Lord Mayor of London from 2015 to 2016. Lord Mountevans has an MA in Economics from Pembroke College, Cambridge. He holds honorary doctorates in Maritime Science and Maritime Business.
Emma Lewell-Buck MP
Member of the Advisory CouncilEmma Lewell-Buck is the Labour Member of Parliament for South Shields. She has been a member of the Defence Committee since 2020 and led the AI in Defence Sub-Committee. Emma is currently enrolled in the Global Strategy Programme at the Royal College of Defence Studies and the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme. Emma formerly held shadow frontbench roles and is a long-standing patron of Forward Assist veterans’ charity.
Richard Powell OBE
Member of the Advisory CouncilRichard Powell is Director at QinetiQ, Chairman of the Maritime Defence and Security Group Council and Board member of the Society of Maritime Industries. He is a member of the Shipbuilding Enterprise for Growth advising the government on shipbuilding and also sits on the Shipping Defence Advisory Committee addressing the global threats to UK shipping. Internationally, he is the UK Maritime lead for the AUKUS Pillar 2 Advanced Capabilities Industry Forum, working with UK, US and Australian government officials and Trade Associations, to represent UK maritime interests in the development of the Tri-National submarine and advanced technologies programmes. Prior to this, Richard was a Royal Navy Commodore from 1980 to 2017 serving as an aviator and destroyer captain, before becoming UK Defence and Naval advisor to Australia in 2014. He has an MSc from Kingston University and MAs from Deakin University and King’s College London.
Sea Power Laboratory launch reception
On Monday 4th November 2024, we hosted the Sea Power Laboratory launch reception at Trinity House.
We were delighted to hear from Vice Admiral Andrew Burns CB OBE, Fleet Commander, Royal Navy, Luke Pollard MP, Minister for the Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence, Dr Kevin Rowlands, Head of the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre and Paul Livingston, Chief Executive UK & NATO at Lockheed Martin, on how the new programme will develop a new generation maritime thinking for a more competitive age.
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