James was awarded his PhD from the Department in 2021. His PhD: “Deconstructing the Seapower State: Britain, America and Defence Unification 1945-1964” (2021) focused on British and American defence unification. The PhD explored and analysed the relationship between the development of strategic thought and theory and defence organisation, at the same time presenting a new history of defence organisation in the UK and US. The research was completed while also being a non-resident Research Fellow of the U.S. Naval War College.

James was awarded British Academy Research Scholar status 2023-2026 where he is tasked to advance research into maritime strategy in national strategy and policy from ‘seabed to space’.

James is part of two School of Security Studies research themes: Strategic Studies and Military and Political History. He is a member of King’s Laughton Naval and Maritime Strategy Unit and King’s Centre for Grand Strategy. He, amongst others, founded the King’s Wargaming Network in 2018, having led naval wargaming research in the War Studies Department since 2016. In 2020, he became a member of King’s Defence Studies Air and Space Institute and affiliated with the Space Security Research Group.

James is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Historical Society. He is also engaged in various professional organisations, projects, associations and research groups in the UK, USA, Australia, and Japan. One of these projects is the international ‘Corbett 100 project’ that James pioneered and marks the centenary of the death of historian, strategist, and philosopher of seapower and maritime strategy Sir Julian Corbett (1852-1922).

A common rubric and theme across all aspects of James’s work is providing the maritime and maritime strategic perspective, which is rooted in the analysis of history and experience.

Beyond working on multiple future publications, James is engaged in various journals, and digital outputs like podcasts and blogs.

You can read some of James's blog posts on Substack.

Research interests

• The development of strategy, strategic thought, strategic theory (Major/Minor Inc. Applied History), strategic policy and doctrine
• The theory and development of maritime strategy
• National Strategy, National Defence Strategy, National Security Strategy
• Strategic Space Theory, Space Warfare, ‘Astropolitics’ and ‘Astrostrategy’ (Incl. Geostrategy and Geopolitics), Defence Space Policy, Space History, Human activity in space near-Earth and beyond (outer and deep)
• Future development of humanity as a spacefaring civilisation
• Defence Organisation: American Defense Unification (DoD) and British Defence Unification (MoD) such as higher organisation, organisational and strategic culture, jointness, command and control, civil-military relations
• Wargaming: advancing research into the ‘art and philosophy’ of wargaming including the development, theory, and practice of wargaming
• Contemporary British and American Defence Policy, Strategy and History
• Contemporary Naval and Maritime History and Naval Warfare: Sea Power, Maritime Power, and Naval Power
• Naval Wargaming: history, theory, and practice

Post-Doctoral research

At the heart of his postdoctoral research and scholarship efforts remains developing strategy, strategic theory, and national strategy. This uses the methods to understand, analyse, problem solve, and educate, by combining his experience across his range of past and present research and by using the applied history method.

His post-doctoral fellowship activities focus on the key theme of:

"Advancing research into maritime strategy ‘from the seabed to space’ (inc. naval) and strategic studies in national strategy."

While continuing work on established paths, another research line of effort is a postdoctoral project that addresses the use of space as part of a ‘seabed to space’ national strategy and its use in broader national policy where ‘national ways of war and peace’ shape perspectives on spaces use. This debate is part of a renewed broader cultural, political and policy discussion over human activity in space. It contributes to the debate by demonstrating how a maritime philosophy and maritime strategy is more useful to think through fundamental questions over possible futures of human activity in space and its influence on current and future geopolitical and geostrategic developments on and beyond Earth. James’s new and novel approach seeks to demonstrated how a maritime model for space is useful and also how navies will be important to future space operations whether influencing events on Earth or beyond. James’s prior work related to Sir Julian Corbett will help inform his research on the strategic use of space, beyond just considerations of the orbit of Earth.

These lines of effort are supported by the British Academy 2023-2026.

Publications

• Smith, James W.E. “Seablindness, the Royal Navy and US Navy after 1964” The Naval Review Journal, March 2024.  
• Press Release: New project will use maritime approach to advance space strategy  
• United States Naval Academy Lecture (Sept 2023) The U.S. Navy, Royal Navy, and the Maritime Influence on Space Power 1945–
• James W.E. Smith (2023), Battle for space: statecraft, diplomacyand defence strategy | Astronomy & Geophysics | Oxford Academic (oup.com), Royal Astronomical Society A&G, 64:2, 2.38–2.40, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/astrogeo/atad012
• Forthcoming book based on PhD: The Abolition of Admiralty and the Creation of the Ministry of Defence (UK/US Defence Unification)
• Forthcoming monograph about US Defence Unification and National Strategy.
• Smith, James W.E. “The Art of Admiralty”, The Naval Review Journal, 2023.
• Smith, James W.E. “Corbett offers more on Space than Mitchell.” War on the Rocks, 11 Dec. 2019. 
• Smith, James W.E. “Space Force Creation Warrants Revisiting Defence Unification.” War on the Rocks, 23 Sept. 2020
• Press Release: King's College London led research collaboration enhances 'AUKUS' partnership between UK, USA and Australia (kcl.ac.uk)
• Press Release: Security Studies hosts international conference on maritime strategist Sir Julian Corbett
• James W.E. Smith (2021) New Research into the History, Theory and Practice of Naval Wargaming, The Mariner's Mirror, 107:1, 100-103, DOI: 10.1080/00253359.2021.1845516.
• Smith, James W.E. “Corbett 100: A Long Hard Look in the Mirror” The Naval Review Journal, Nov 2022 
• Smith, James W.E. “Corbett’s Relevance to the Modern Strategic Thinker.” The Strategy Bridge, 21 Aug. 2018.
• Smith, James W.E. “Corbett offers more on Space than Mitchell.” War on the Rocks, 11 Dec. 2019.
• Press Release: Security Studies hosts international conference on maritime strategist Sir Julian Corbett
• Falklands 40: War and Defence Studies Perspectives in the 21^st Century led by Dr James W.E. Smith
• Forgetting Corbett: The Decline of Historically-led Methodology and Maritime Influences on Strategy in the Contemporary Era – 2022 School of Security Studies Research Conference “Back to the Future? Continuity and Change in the study of War and Conflict.