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Future Battlespace

Political decision-making and military planning undertaken today must be relevant for the battlespace of the future. Yet, imagining what the future battlespace might look like not only requires knowledge of and insight into the technological aspects of industrial development and innovation, but also a holistic understanding of the interplay of the new technologies with historical, societal, and global developments as well as the political, institutional, legal, and ethical implications hereof. That is, the context in which the new security and defence technologies will be applied, their impact on it, and the wider implications. 

While we consider our expertise within science and engineering as central to SECDEF’s first research cluster on industrial development, SDU’s Center for War Studies (CWS) located at the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences is home to cutting-edge interdisciplinary research on the future battlespace, which constitutes SECDEF’s second research cluster.

CWS focuses on the changing character of war; the use of new, and potentially disruptive, technologies such as autonomous weapons and drones in warfare; governance and resilience in international relations, organisational challenges within the armed forces, military education, and intelligence. By working through SECDEF, external partners can harness the cutting-edge expertise at CWS. As an expert hub for research on contemporary warfare and emerging battlespaces in the land, air, sea, space, cyber and under-water domains, we can provide bespoke insight into emerging challenges and custom-made courses for the education of military officers and industry leaders on the future battlespace.

Below we list some of the research areas that we consider particularly relevant for SECDEF’s research cluster on the future battlespace.

- How will the changing character of war impact national and international politics? 

- What legal and ethical questions need to be considered by pre-deployment officers, industry leaders, or defence manufacturer?

- Can historical understanding of contemporary and emerging threats provide vital context to future security challenges

- Will challenges to established forms of governance and order increase national and market instability? 

- How can international institutions practice the protection of civilians in the face of eroding international norms?

- What is the logic of informal security cooperation and how does it apply to the military-industrial environment?

- How can military and industrial institutions best evolve and adapt in the face of cyber, hybrid, and grey zone threats?

- How should decision-making be undertaken in tense high stress situations?

- How can military and industry leaders be prepared for the unknown?

- What is resilience in international institutions and how can institution become increasingly resilient in the face of myriad threats?

- How will autonomous weapons systems effect military operations at a strategic and tactical level?

- Can hostile state and non-state actors use air, land, surface and under water drones in ways that will undermine established military doctrine and established industry counter technologies?

- What is the best way to understand and access the European Defence Market; especially in terms of military UAV, UUV, USV, UGV technologies?

- Can technology correct human biases and error? What are the moral, ethical, legal, and technical barriers to success?

- Is there a way to enhance human perception and decision-making in multi-domain and grey zone warfare?

- How do micro-processes influence the macro-behaviour of military and defence industry organisations?

- What are multi-level practices of adaption, and do they enable military and industrial organisations to succeed in dynamic environments?

- What is ‘true’ machine autonomy, how it is designed, and will it redistribute authority in your organisation?

- How can we organise practices around the human seams in multinational military, industrial, and defence networks?

- What can art and aesthetics tell us about the reality of war or public perceptions of conflict?

- How can we better understand gendered and racial structures in warfare and mitigate bias and suffering?

- Can a better understanding of emotion, trust, and identity help political, military, and industrial leaders make more astute and informed decisions in relation to diplomacy and warfare? 

Trine Flockhart

Contact person for inquiries about the excellence cluster on The Future Battlespace

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Last Updated 13.01.2022