The Centre for Statecraft and National Security (CSNS) at King’s College London, UK, has marked the end of its first full academic year by highlighting new research programs, expanded partnerships, and continued work on national security and international affairs.
CSNS was launched just over a year ago following the merger of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) and the Centre for Grand Strategy (CGS). The centre operates as part of the Ax:son Johnson Institute for Statecraft and Diplomacy, a four-university transatlantic consortium focused on recruiting, training, and mentoring future scholars and practitioners in statecraft, diplomacy, and strategy.
Since its creation, CSNS has expanded its research activities across areas including counterterrorism, strategic competition, applied history, extremism, technology, and national security policy.
One of the centre’s recent achievements was recognition at the Social Science & Public Policy Impact Awards, where two CSNS projects were shortlisted. The project “Resolving the ISIS Detainee Dilemma: Evidence-Based Responses to Post-Conflict Detention” was selected as the overall Impact Prize Winner.
The centre has also expanded its leadership and research teams, including the launch of a new Net Assessment Programme supported by the Ax:son Johnson Foundation. The program is led by Dr. Emily Whalen and Dr. Nina Silove and aims to continue the intellectual tradition associated with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Net Assessment, established in the 1970s.
The Net Assessment Programme team also includes Malin Severin, Dr. Andrew Ehrhardt, Professor John Bew, and new PhD Fellow James Wallis.
CSNS has also welcomed a new group of Ax:son Johnson PhD Fellows: Adam Alayli, Alice Hastings-Bass, and Kenneth (Dane) McAfee. Additional appointments include Laura Ulanowski as Communications Manager for the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) programme and Harrison Pates as Commissioning Editor and Project Manager for the Global Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET).
Over the past six months, the centre has hosted major research events, including the Sixth Annual GNET Conference and an Applied History Conference focused on early career scholars.
The centre also continued partnerships with the University of Texas at Austin and the Stockholm School of Economics, hosting undergraduate students for lectures and workshops at King’s College London.
Research platforms have also expanded, including the launch of a new DSpace-based platform for the Repository of Extremist Aligned Documents (READ). CSNS also announced that the Extremism and Gaming Research Network (EGRN) has joined the GNET programme as part of its wider research portfolio.
Another recent initiative, the TOT Insights Hub, was launched through a collaboration with the Leverhulme Centre for Research on Slavery in War. The open-access platform examines Russian activities in Ukraine by bringing together fragmented evidence to analyze occupation systems.
The centre has hosted a range of international speakers and policy discussions, including appearances by Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, former Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, and Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary General Jonatan Vseviov.
CSNS researchers have also continued engagement with policymakers, working with organizations including the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Ministry of Defence, and Cabinet Office. The centre’s Forum on Future British Strategy and its Supply Chain Working Group continue to examine strategic challenges affecting the United Kingdom and its allies.
International partnerships have also expanded. In June, the National Maritime Foundation in New Delhi signed a Memorandum of Understanding with King’s College London to establish a Regional Maritime Security Centre of Excellence within CSNS. The agreement was announced during a ceremony attended by India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
CSNS members also recently completed a three-month initiative supporting research training for members of Syria’s transitional government.
The centre awarded its inaugural Sweetbaum Essay Prize for Future Leaders to Divyam Sharma, a master’s student in the Department of War Studies. The award honors Henry Alan Sweetbaum, the Anglo-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation in 2008.
Looking ahead to the 2026-27 academic year, CSNS plans to continue expanding its research and education programs. Upcoming activities include the Engelsberg Annual Lecture in Applied History, the second Net Assessment Conference, and a public conference marking the conclusion of the XCEPT project, which has operated for more than six years.
The centre will also continue hosting public and private discussions within King’s College London’s Department of War Studies, bringing together academics, policymakers, and security practitioners to examine emerging challenges in international affairs.
