The return of geopolitical rivalry has fundamentally altered the demands on British defence. Established in 2023, our Strategic Defence Unit addresses the most pressing questions regarding Britain’s security – from the Euro-Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific.
We look beyond the immediate headlines to analyse long-term trends in deterrence, space power, asymmetric advantage, defence economics, and allies and partners. Our work is driven by a clear mission: to explain how Britain can maintain a decisive edge over its rivals, while strengthening its key alliances and partnerships.
Latest research
Degrees of control: Towards a new taxonomy for defence sovereignty
Asymmetric statecraft: Strengthening British power in a more geopolitical era
Towards a ‘Hercules hold’: Maintaining a transatlantic defence industrial base
Space resilience in a British context
Burden sharing: Preparing Britain and America for a multifront crisis
The British defence industrial base: Strengths and weaknesses
United Kingdom-United States Strategic Forum
Established in 2026, the United Kingdom-United States Strategic Forum aims to help uphold the critical partnership between London and Washington amidst intensifying geopolitical competition.
Operating as a crucible for new policy ideas, this invite-only forum convenes a select group of stakeholders to interrogate the shared challenges of the past decade and propose concrete solutions for the next.
Media appearances
Joshua Huminski argues for a maritime-first British defence strategy
ADS Advance highlights Defence Talks episode on expanding UK cadet forces
Britain’s World
Britain’s World is the Council on Geostrategy’s online magazine. We are the premier place for discussion of the United Kingdom’s international posture, how the world affects and sees Britain, and how Britain sees and affects the world.
Experts
Alessio Patalano
Sir Herbert Richmond Adjunct Fellow in Maritime Strategy
Alexander Lanoszka
International Fellow
Ben Goodwin
Baron Garden Adjunct Fellow in Air Power
Benedict Baxendale-Smith
Baron Collingwood Adjunct Fellow in Maritime Strategy
Dr Marc De Vore
Sir Halford Mackinder Adjunct Fellow in Black Sea Geopolitics
Gabriel Elefteriu
Senior Research Fellow (Space Power)
Hugo Barker
Sir John Houblon Adjunct Fellow in Defence Finance
James Rogers
Co-President (Research)
John Foreman CBE
Honorary Fellow
Joshua Huminski
International Fellow
Klaus Dodds
Honorary Fellow
Paul Mason
Aneurin Bevan Adjunct Fellow in Defence and Resilience
Peter Watkins CB CBE
Honorary Fellow