King's College London

(From editorial comments)
The next essay, focusing on security technology and innovation, is written by Dr Chris Kinsey, Reader in Business and International Security with the Department of Defence Studies at King’s, and Colonel Ron Ti, a PhD candidate in the Department of War Studies at King’s and currently a lecturer in Joint Operations in the Department of Military Studies at the Baltic Defence College, Estonia. Kinsey and Ti identify consequential shortcomings in the Review’s approach to defence and security innovation, noting the absence of specific provisions to improve the access of small to medium enterprises to this sector, as well as a lack of ‘clarity in equally important issues of research, development, and successful commercialisation, all of which, in turn, are linked to seed funding and working capital access.’ Without further specifics, the Review risks being perceived as little more than a series of ‘statements of intent’ in this field. Kinsey and Ti also note that a ‘key point in the Review related particularly to sensitive areas such as security has been a shift in the UK’s long-standing policy of “global competition by default” as a result of deeper consideration of the shifting international and national security environment.’