Security and Defence Policy
International organizations, actors, factors-threats, cooperation, security regimes, alliances and coalitions, interests, risk evaluation and management, international relations, scenario development, crisis management, security complexes, influence strategy, coercion, deterrence, modelling, game theory, defence diplomacy, etc.
Formerly included in this working group, Strategy became a separate working group in 2019 under the Austrian presidency. Strategy implies a reasoned reaction to a hostile intent. Climate change, alliance politics, domestic civil-military relations, and international defence policy without clear hostile intent are all more likely to fit with this working group.
Current Chair and contact for working group:
Dr. Laurenz Furst, Austrian National Defence University, laurenz.fuerst@gmx.at
Co-chair
Niklas Rossbach, PhD
Analyst, Centre for Societal Security, Swedish Defence University
niklas.rossbach@fhs.se
Website: Niklas Rossbach
LinkedIn
Past Chairs:
Dr. Hans LAMPALZER, Austrian National Defence University
Dr. Thomas PANKRATZ, Austrian National Defence University
Scope: the aim and purpose of the Working Group
While military sciences (plural) encompass all disciplines and fields of learning as they apply to the military profession, the two studies at the heart of military science (singular) are strategy and polemology. Security policy is conceived as a product of states or their interaction in international organizations. Defence policy is a narrower set of policies involving armed forces pursuing security, and strategy is the set of actions aimed at achieving particular aims. Operational design and tactics are subordinate to strategy, in the traditional way of thinking about strategic, operational, and tactical pursuit of objectives (ends, ways, and means). Beginning in 2019, a new working group on Strategy, Working Group 10, has been established within ISMS.
Working Group 6 on Security and Defence Policy encompasses the full range of activities undertaken by states to drive strategy. Research and discussion related to operations and tactics may be more suited to the working group on war studies.
Keyword descriptors
International relations, security policy, defence policy, international organizations, alliances, coalitions, polymology
Topics addressed in previous conferences
U.S. grand strategies towards Russia; NATO in the Baltic states; Russian perspectives, responses and Challenges; Russian defence industry and impact of arms exports; Evolution of Military Affairs from Business Architecture Viewpoint; governance strategies for cyber strategy; The Role of Resistance to Social Influence in Information Security; Hybrid Actors; integrating resilience in defense planning against information warfare
Current Working Group Activities
The working group is looking for contributors to prepare an annual digest of new and influential materials, including books, journal articles, and research projects, for the benefit of participants and institutional members.
History of the Working Group
This is one of the original eight working groups of the ISMS established at Amsterdam in 2008.
Related Contact information
The Defence Research Network is a network created by PhD and Early-Career researchers for mutual support.
