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Our recent news and publications.
The Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society’s Biennial Conference 13-15 October 2023.
Professor Cleary will be attending the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society’s Biennial Conference 13-15 October 2023. She will be chairing a panel on
Doctrinal Change and Military Reform at the KCL
Professor Cleary was pleased to chair a panel on Doctrinal Change and Military Reform at the KCL Doctoral Workshop on Military Innovation and Defence Reform

Ukraine: Playing Field, Pawn or Prize?
Ukraine matters. The choices it makes and events that unfold are relevant to the security of Europe, whether that security is considered in a holistic sense or parcel it out into its political, economic, social, legal and military dimensions.
Article ‘On Governance’ now available in Spanish
In 2020, Laura Cleary was commissioned to write a short article ‘On Governance’ to support the FBA’s Hybrid Course on Security Sector Reform. That article

RISING Global Peace Forum, 10 – 12 November 2021
Laura Cleary and Roger Darby spoke at the RISING Global Peace Forum at Coventry Cathedral on 11 November 2021. They addressed the need for leadership in

Managing Security: Concepts and Challenges now in print
Laura Cleary and Roger Darby are pleased to announce that Managing Security: Concepts and Challenges was published on 29 November 2021. This edited volume is

Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society
15-17 October 2021 Laura Cleary Chaired a panel entitled ‘Altruism, Ambition and Absorptive Capacity: Matching Security Cooperation to Partner Nation Requirements’ at the IUS conference in

Managing Security: Concepts and Challenges
Laura Cleary and Roger Darby are delighted to announce that Managing Security: Concepts and Challenges will be published by Routledge in November 2021. This edited

Managing the ‘Quality v Quantity Conundrum’ in Force Capability: New horizons, old habits….
Consultant , Oakwood International Security The publication of Global Britain in a Competitive Age: An Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy (16

Delivering Global Britain
Although one can argue at length about the aims of the Integrated Review and the policies within it, no one can doubt the scope of

Conceptualising Security
On 16 March 2021 the British Government published its long-awaited Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy. Media coverage of the Review tended

Global Britain in a Competitive Age Series
The publication of Global Britain in a Competitive Age: An Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy (16 March 2021) sets forth the

Faculty Lounge, Spotify podcast.
Laura Cleary joined Matt DeSantis in conversation on From the Swamp to the Swamp on 18 March 2021. They had a wide ranging conversation about

BBC World Business News Report
On 16 March 2021 the UK Government published its long awaited Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review. Professor Laura Cleary addressed some of the

Our contribution to the Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review
We are delighted to see that elements of our written submission of evidence to the HCDC inquiry into the Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy

How will the pandemic affect our relationship with the EU? Are the consequences of leaving even worse now?
As indicated in a previous response, the start-stop approach to negotiations between 2016-2019, the lack of clarity over what type of relationship the UK wanted with the EU after its departure..

What is the risk of internal pandemonium?
The UK isn’t the US, so my personal view is that internal unrest is far less likely…

Human Resilience and COVID-19
Resilience as a concept began in the world of engineering based on very precise tolerances that allowed machinery and technology to operate both safely and effectively.

How have our normal import / export systems been affected by COVID-19?
The pandemic highlights that domestic and global supply chains are fragile and subject to disruption. Just-in-time delivery systems work under ‘normal’ conditions…

Is COVID an example of biological warfare?
I don’t subscribe to the theory that the spread of COVID-19 is the result of a conscious decision to initiate biological warfare.

Are we entering a ‘new age’, a third World War?
The international system is marked by competition and periodic bouts of conflict, which may be localised or sometimes global.

China has recently unveiled its new submarines. Is this a coincidence?
Yes. China has been engaged in a sustained build-up of its military over the last 20 years. This has led to an arms race in Asia

What are the security risks to the UK now that we have entered into a state of emergency?
The risks to the UK’s security have not fundamentally changed since the start of the pandemic…

Covid-19 and the UK Government’s proposed Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review
Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic there has been a great deal of speculation concerning its long-term impact on the governance and security of

Europe’s Coherence Gap in External Crisis and Conflict Management
We are delighted to announce the publication of Europe’s Coherence Gap in External Crisis and Conflict Management: Political Rhetoric and Institutional Practices in the EU and
About us
Oakwood International Security’s mission is to enable the development of more secure and resilient societies through the provision of high-quality analysis, research, education and consultancy.
