Founded in 1831 by the Duke of Wellington, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) is an independent think tank engaged in cutting edge defence and security research.A valuable opportunity for students who look forward to careers in public policy, politics, the media, finance and industry as well as academic careers and other disciplines, King%E2%80%99s offers the chance to gain in-depth understanding of defence and the purposes of armed forces, using the United Kingdom as a key illustration of a major expeditionary military power.With the particular challenges of affordability and partnerships that this brings, we will consider nations' models and compare the strengths and weaknesses of their processes, policies and strategies to give you a critical understanding of the principles of policy development, strategic theory, and the way those principles have developed.We%E2%80%99ll address national constitutional and legal systems and the significance of influence and public diplomacy and explore the contribution of defence and military power to the wider security of a nation and the integration of all the instruments of security. We will also examine the use of military forces for direct defence of territory, for domestic security, in support of national interest, and for humanitarian reasons.Defence policy is a particular challenge for governments. Sound policy is necessary to ensure that the nation%E2%80%99s armed forces are used wisely in defence of the nation but also to serve the national interest in other ways. At the heart of effective defence policy is a robust military strategy that relates ends to means through ways with the agility and adaptability to cope with an uncertain and changing long-term security environment. The course will be taught by the academic staff of an independent think tank that has a principal role in ensuring well informed public debate over the evolution of defence policies and military strategies. RUSI is located in the heart of the government area of London and you will have a first hand impression of the environment in which government policy and strategic decisions are made. The content of the course will be used to produce a primer on the nature and purpose of the military instrument which will be a valuable tool for policy influencers such as parliamentarians and journalists as well as junior military officers and young graduates working as interns and researchers for governments and political parties.The course will examine:- What is meant by %E2%80%98military%E2%80%99 in the context of the variety of different agents of organised violence.- Concepts of military strategic theory drawing on the work of classical theorists.- The relationship of the military instrument to other instruments of security (diplomatic, economic, information).- The United Kingdom (UK) case study of the use of military forces in recent history from the end of World War II and the evolution of its defence policy.- The UK%E2%80%99s system of government compared with other selected governments including constitutional and legal factors.- Prediction of future security trends and factors.- UK%E2%80%99s recent Strategic Defence and Security Review and its challenges.- Comparisons with United States, French, Netherlands and Australian policy review processes and outcomes.

Course leader
King's in collaboration with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)

Target group
Strategic theory is essentially multi-disciplinary relating political and social science to analytic philosophy (and ethics in particular), experimental psychology, the physical sciences and engineering, law and economics. It draws on history and geography, meteorology, oceanography and space studies which are all highly relevant. The course will suit students of all academic backgrounds particularly if they are keen to develop an understanding of the utility of their particular discipline and its relationship to others.Level five is usually set at the equivalent of second year undergraduate so there may be an expectation of the students' knowledge and skills in the particular area of study. It is the responsibility of each student to ensure they meet these expectations for any level 5 courses offered as part of the Summer School.



Course aim
At the end of the course you will be able to:- Understand the nature and purposes of the military instrument;- Be well prepared to work as researchers or interns in executive or legislative areas of national governments not only in defence-related activities but other security aspects of government;- Be equipped to work in the media and as journalists on matters of security and defence;- Have a useful background understanding of defence and security for subsequent employment in defence and security and related industries;- Be well informed as a citizen prior to national elections, etc;Some sessions will be held as seminars in the RUSI building in Whitehall. From there you will be made aware of the geography of government in London. Other expert members of the RUSI staff will take part in these and practitioners from government will be invited to attend. Guest speakers include Sebastian Payne, a barrister and lecturer in constitutional law at Kent Law School and Professor Julian Lindley-French, Eisenhower Professor of Defence Strategy at the Netherlands Defence Academy.

Fee info
GBP 1500: tuition fee only

King's College London
Address: Strand, London
Postal code: WC2R 2LS
City: London
Country: United Kingdom
Website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/summer
E-mail: summerschool@kcl.ac.uk
Phone: +44 20 7848 1533