The conference at Queen Elizabeth House in Edinburgh will be co-hosted by the Scottish Council on Global Affairs, and will bring together experts, stakeholders and parties interested in the evolving character of deterrence in the current security environment.

Events of the last 18 months have thrust deterrence and related effects such as assurance and coercion back into current debate. The security situation in Europe demands immediate attention, but a range of other challenges and issues persist. Building on The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 and the 2021 Integrated Review, the 2023 UK Integrated Review Refresh recognised ‘the growing importance of deterrence’. This conference intends to stimulate discussion on a range of salient issues with a focus on representing the next generation of deterrence experts.

Proposals for papers on any topic of relevance to deterrence and assurance are welcome, with specific interest in:

• the relevance of deterrence and assurance to the Arctic and High North
• coercive strategies in an age of social media
• the Russian invasion of Ukraine: implications for deterrence and assurance
• strategic culture, domestic politics and alliance cohesion
• deterrence theory and practice in the 21st century
• space, modern strategy and deterrence

We also encourage submission of case studies from which deterrence, assurance and escalation lessons can be identified.

Please send abstracts of no more than 200 words by 18 September 2023 to daaa@dstl.gov.uk

The DAAA seeks diversity of opinions in submissions and speakers. The conference will be run in an inclusive manner with a culture that encourages constructive challenge. We encourage submissions from experts at any stage of their career.

There will be a charge per participant to cover the costs of catering during the conference; £15 for students and £40 for non-students.

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