Corbett 100 Press Releases.
18 May 2023
U.S. Naval War College Hosts Conference Applying History to Present and Future Naval Strategy
NEWPORT, RI – The U.S. Naval War College (NWC) hosted the third installment in the “Corbett 100” project, a conference series co-sponsored by the Laughton Naval Unit at King’s College London and the Sea Power Centre of the Royal Australian Navy, onboard Naval Station Newport, May 10 - 12.
The Corbett 100 project marks the centenary of the death of British naval historian and maritime strategist Sir Julian Corbett, with an exploration of the influence of history upon sea power with an applied view to the future.
NWC’s Corbett 100 conference examined key historical foundations of maritime policy and naval strategy by revisiting the example provided by Corbett, whose work profoundly influenced Rear Adm. William S. Sims in his second presidency at NWC.
Welcoming the participants, Rear Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, president of NWC, charted the role of time in the technological advancement of the Navy, rife not only with challenges, but also noteworthy successes.
“The history of naval warfare is filled with examples of commanders who achieved victory by thinking outside the box and using unorthodox tactics,” said Chatfield. “Today, commanders must be prepared to embrace new technologies and adapt their strategies as the situation demands.”
Chatfield also charged participants to cultivate relationships with new and interested graduates and subject matter experts who could offer fresh ideas and energy for a robust conference experience.
Participants included historians, other academics and former serving military from the U.S., UK, Japan, India and Australia. During the conference they explored issues of immediate strategic focus for contemporary naval thinkers in anticipation of the future role of navies in peace and war.
Attendees participated in ten panels supported by more than 35 speakers covering topics which connected the study of history to modern strategic analysis.
A keynote presentation on “The Spectre of Navalism in the 21st Century” by Andrew Lambert, Laughton Professor of Naval History at Kings College London, provided reasons for Corbett’s importance in modern times.
“Corbett was a philosopher who created a concept of a British way of war and supported that through the creation of a ‘practical past,’” stated Lambert. He explained that this “practical past” is what is needed to “process the experiences we are having in the present or will have in the future.”
The location of the conference was especially apropos as the event took place in NWC’s Pringle Hall, a building steeped history and home to historic war gaming floors dating back to 1934. Here the college’s Historical Section, using a Corbett-inspired curriculum, influenced American naval strategy development during the years leading up to the Second World War.
David Kohnen, Ph.D., associate professor at NWC’s Center for Maritime Historical Research, spoke about how Corbett inspired Rear Adm. Sims to fuse unclassified historical analysis with current intelligence in order to educate NWC’s ‘five-star thinkers’ of the 1920s and 1930s. Among those benefiting from the historical-based curriculum were Adm. Chester W. Nimitz and Capt. Ernest J. King, who completed the curriculum three times over the course of his career.
“Through this education, these leaders learned not to be what we might call ‘warfighters,’” Kohnen said. “Rather, they learned how to be ‘war winners’ into the Second World War and beyond.”
Retired Royal Australian Navy Vice Adm. Peter Jones attended the conference with retired Admirals Sudarshan Shrikhande of the Indian Navy and Katsuya Yamamoto of Japan - all NWC alumni. Notably, Jones also provided keynote remarks about the profound influence of another NWC graduate, the late Australian Adm. James Goldrick, whose historical writings on strategy have influenced contemporary efforts to maintain maritime stability in the greater Indo-Pacific region.
Using the works of Corbett and other maritime thinkers of the past, NWC continues to build upon historical lessons to educate naval leaders of the twenty-first century and beyond.
NWC delivers excellence in education, research, and outreach, informing today’s decision-makers and educating tomorrow’s leaders. The college provides educational experiences and learning opportunities that develop students’ ability to anticipate and prepare strategically for the future, strengthen the foundations of peace, and create a decisive warfighting advantage.
08 December 2022
Book to be launched by King’s in honour of Sir Julian Corbett
Academics from the School of Security Studies are launching a book in honour of Sir Julian Corbett (1854-1922), historian, strategist, and philosopher of seapower and maritime strategy, and marking the Corbett 100 project.
The publication will mark 100 years since the influential historian and theorist’s death. It will be an edited volume of essays covering the use of applied history as the root of strategic thought, the development of maritime strategy and essays on topics related to Sir Julian’s work.
Sir Julian Corbett was a historian whose research efforts led to the development of national strategy, dispelling the belief that military and foreign strategy should be based on a set of universal principles. Instead, Corbett understood the critical importance of the past in highlighting long-term national security policy trends. His work set him amongst the greats of strategic theorists and military historians while encouraging future generations to advance the fields of history and strategic studies. This book will build upon this legacy and the work of the Corbett 100 project.
Dr James W.E. Smith, one of the founders of the Corbett 100 project
Corbett 100 is a joint initiative between the Laughton Naval History and Maritime Strategy Unit of the School of Security Studies at King’s, the U.S. Naval War College and the Australian Naval institute. The project explores historical and contemporary national strategy and defence policy questions from perspectives on naval history, maritime strategy, and strategic theory.
Starting in 2019 under the leadership of Dr James W.E. Smith and War Studies Alumnus Dr David Kohnen, Corbett 100 has supported the close ties identified in the ‘AUKUS’ partnership between the UK, USA and Australia. It has brought together researchers, academics and military professionals from across the world through events, podcasts and publications. Over 300 academics, historians, veterans, and military personnel will have attended, presented or been involved with the project in some capacity, including from nations such as Japan, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Canada, Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand and India.
In 2022, they launched a series of major international conferences that have taken place at King’s and the Australian Naval Institute in partnership with The University of New South Wales in Canberra and the Australian Defence Force Academy. The conferences discussed the influence of Sir Julian on British and global national strategy and contemporary defence and security challenges, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. In 2023, the US Naval War College will conclude the programme by focusing on the future of naval and maritime strategy in relation to addressing potential global security and defence challenges. The project has and continues to explore contemporary questions on maritime strategy, strategic theory, defence policy, naval doctrine, seapower, trade protection and future global security issues ranging from the seabed to space.
Laughton Chair for Naval History, Professor Andrew Lambert FKC, remarked on the project:
“Corbett believed that the development of naval education and strategic planning depended on the combination of an accurate understanding of past practice, and the evolution of strategic theory that addressed the unique and specific needs of individual nations. He recognised a distinctive maritime/economic ‘British Way of War’. While Corbett’s work was shaped by the highest academic standards, it was designed to meet the intellectual needs of serving officers and statesmen. Corbett’s multi-disciplinary approach remains relevant in the 21st century; consequently, this project has engaged and informed defence educators, decision makers and the development of naval policy, military doctrine and both grand and national strategy. Its outputs will continue to do so.”
Alongside the launch of the book, Corbett 100 will continue to share Sir Julian’s work through efforts to advance the digitalisation and access to Corbett’s records, such as those held at King’s Liddle Hart Military Archives and the UK National Maritime Museum. After the project’s conclusion, it will continue to act as a network to advance research in naval history and maritime strategy, growing relations and research collaboration between scholars worldwide, where King’s remains a home for expertise on naval history and maritime strategy.
2022
King’s College London holds first Corbett 100 event [Australian Naval Institute]
Late last month the King’s College London held the first of Corbett 100 Events. It welcomed over sixty speakers and delegates from around the world to a conference marking the centenary of the death of British historian, strategist and philosopher of seapower and maritime strategy Sir Julian Corbett (1854-1922).
The conference was the first of three taking place in the UK, Australia and USA throughout 2022-23 as part of the Corbett 100 project. Delegates discussed the life and times of Sir Julian, his influence as a historian on British and global national during the early 20th Century, and his methodology of applied history. Further details of the London event see https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/security-studies-hosts-international-conference-on-maritime-strategist-sir-julian-corbett
The Corbet 100 Project features a series of special publications and events exploring historical and contemporary questions on maritime strategy, defence policy, seapower, trade protection and future global security, including Space power. The relationships between nations at sea and the ongoing development of navies has been identified as an area of interest to each of the countries in the ‘AUKUS’ partnership, a trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Over the next year, more than 350 delegates from 19 countries and a diverse range of backgrounds, including serving military, veterans, academics, policymakers, national representatives and officials, will attend or present at a Corbett 100 event.
The Australian contribution will be the 2022 Goldrick Conference to be held at the Australian Defence Force Academy on 21-22 September titled Asia-Pacific Maritime Strategy in the 21st Century. It will feature speakers from Canada, India, the UK and the US. Further details are at: https://navalinstitute.com.au/events/major-events/
30 May 2022
Security Studies hosts international conference on maritime strategist Sir Julian Corbett
The Corbett 100 Conference explored the life and times of the important historian and strategist
Last week, King’s welcomed over 60 speakers and delegates from around the world to a conference marking the centenary of the death of British historian, strategist and philosopher of seapower and maritime strategy Sir Julian Corbett (1854-1922).
The conference was the first of three taking place in the UK, Australia and USA throughout 2022-23 as part of the Corbett 100 project. Delegates discussed the life and times of Sir Julian, his influence as a historian on British and global national during the early 20th century, and his methodology of applied history.
The Corbett 100 project, designed by Dr James W E Smith when he was a PhD candidate in the Department of War Studies, launched in 2019. It builds upon historical and scholarly links between the UK, US and Australia through research collaboration on maritime strategy, national defence policy, and history.
The project will feature a series of special publications and events exploring historical and contemporary questions on maritime strategy, defence policy, seapower, trade protection and future global security, including Space power. The relationships between nations at sea and the ongoing development of navies has been identified as an area of interest to each of the countries in the ‘AUKUS’ partnership, a trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Over the next year, more than 350 delegates from 19 countries and a diverse range of backgrounds, including serving military, veterans, academics, policymakers, national representatives and officials, will attend or present at a Corbett 100 event.
Sir Julian Corbett was a historian whose research efforts led to the development of national strategy, dispelling the belief military and foreign strategy should be based on a set of universal principles towards efforts to secure peace and international order. He also understood the critical importance of the past in highlighting long-term national security policy trends.
Laughton Chair for Naval History, Professor Andrew Lambert remarked:
Sir Julian Corbett’s contribution as a historian places him amongst the great scholars and thinkers of military history and strategic studies, alongside the likes of theorist Carl Von Clauzwitz. He used applied history, garnering useful insight from studying Britain’s military past to to create a national strategy for Britain, guiding decision-making on topics critical to national realities on strategic defence policy and the use of seapower.
Professor Andrew Lambert
Sir Julian’s major theoretical work of 1911, Some Principals of Maritime Strategy, remains the single most important text on maritime strategy. His work received positive international acclaim from the United States, Australia and Japan as they developed their notion of “seapower”.
As part of its efforts to mark the centenary of Corbett’s death, the Royal Navy’s Naval Historical Branch is digitalising many of his essays on naval history and maritime doctrine in the year ahead to make them accessible to researchers and the public.
The Corbett 100 committee is formed of Dr James WE Smith, King’s College London, Dr David Kohnen, US Naval War College and Dr Mark Bailey, Royal Australian Navy. The project is supported through an academic council consisting of members including Professor Andrew Lambert, King’s College London.
Professor Lambert also spoke about Sir Julian Corbett with Dr James W E Smith on an episode of the Department of War Studies podcast about his book The British Way of War, exploring why Sir Julian ranks amongst the greats of military strategic studies, used history to develop a new national strategy for Britian, and how his naval successes helped shape Britain’s naval success in the Second World War.
Listen to the episode via Spotify, Soundcloud or Apple podcasts.
6 September 2021
King’s College London led research collaboration enhances ‘AUKUS’ partnership between UK, USA and Australia
A collaborative project by the Laughton Naval Unit with research partners in the USA and Australia supports the close ties identified in the new ‘AUKUS’ partnership
In collaboration with research partners in the USA and Australia, the Corbett 100 project led by the Laughton Unit in the Department of War Studies supports the close ties identified in the new ‘AUKUS’ partnership announced yesterday by the British government, between the UK, USA and Australia.
The project, launched in 2019, builds upon historical and scholarly links between the UK, US and Australia through research collaboration on maritime strategy. The partnership between King’s College London, US Naval War College and Australian Naval Institute brings together researchers, veterans and active military to discuss historical perspectives on historian and strategist Sir Julian Corbett (1854-1922) and the contemporary relevance of his work on maritime strategy.
Sir Julian Corbett’s research efforts earlier in the 20th century proved strategy was a national construct rather than a set of universal principles towards efforts to secure peace and international order. His work received positive international acclaim from the United States, Australia and Japan as they developed their notion of “seapower”.
Corbett understood the critical importance of the past, once suitably analysed, in highlighting long-term national security policy trends. His major theoretical contribution came in 1911 with the publication of Some Principals of Maritime Strategy, which remains the single most important text on maritime strategy. It placed Corbett among the great strategic thinkers. As a civilian, Corbett served the British Cabinet, where his commitment to the education of the Royal Navy, the integration of naval thought into national strategy and policy, and the importance of academic rigour marked him out from the majority of contemporary writers in the subject.
The Corbett 100 project led by King’s College London academics and alumni marks the centenary of the death of British naval historian Sir Julian Corbett in 2022. The project runs between 2019 and 2023, featuring special publications and events exploring historical as well as contemporary questions including maritime strategy, defence policy, seapower, trade protection and future global security. Three events aim to discuss maritime strategy for the contemporary era. The relationships between nations at sea and the ongoing development of navies being a particular area identified of interest to each of the countries in the ‘AUKUS’ partnership. The first event will be held at King’s College London in 2022. Following the King’s conference, further events will be held in Australia and the United States.
Corbett 100 is directed between Dr James W.E. Smith, King’s College London, Dr David Kohnen, U.S Naval War College and Dr Mark Bailey, Royal Australian Navy. The project is supported through an academic council consisting of Professor Andrew Lambert at King’s College London and Professor John Hattendorf at the U.S Naval War College.
31 May 2019
King’s College London and US Naval War College in major research collaboration
The new Corbett 100 project will bring together researchers, veterans and active military to discuss historical perspectives on naval historian Sir Julian Corbett and his works, but also explore contemporary questions including maritime strategy, defence policy, naval theory, seapower, trade protection and future global security.
The new Corbett 100 project will bring together researchers, veterans and active military to discuss historical perspectives on naval historian Sir Julian Corbett and his works, but also explore contemporary questions including maritime strategy, defence policy, naval theory, seapower, trade protection and future global security.
Corbett 100 is a collaboration between the Laughton Unit, Department of War Studies, King’s College London and the Hattendorf Historical Center, U.S Naval War College. It marks the centenary of the death of British naval historian and maritime strategist Sir Julian Corbett (1854-1922) in 2022. The project will run between 2019 and 2023, featuring special publications and events.
“Corbett believed in writing history of the highest academic standards but designed for the use of serving officers and statesmen. Corbett’s approach remains relevant to the 21st century, and this project is not only a study for historians but will inform defence educators, decision makers and the development of naval policy, military doctrine and both grand and national strategy,” said Professor Andrew Lambert, Laughton Chair for Naval History, King’s College London.
Corbett 100 is co-directed by PhD candidate James W.E. Smith, King’s College London and Dr D Kohnen, Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research, U.S Naval War College. The project is supported through an academic council consisting of Professor Andrew Lambert at King’s College London and Professor John Hattendorf at the U.S. Naval War College.
Corbett’s commitment to the education of the Royal Navy, the integration of naval thought into national strategy and policy, and the importance of academic rigour marked him out from the majority of contemporary writers in the subject. A civilian and a progressive liberal in politics Corbett developed maritime strategic naval doctrine in the context of an evolving British system, in contrast to the work of serving officers.
Corbett understood the critical importance of the past, once suitably analysed, in highlighting long terms trends in national security policy. His major theoretical contribution came in 1911 with the publication of Some Principals of Maritime Strategy, which remains the single most important text on maritime strategy and it placed Corbett among the great strategic thinkers.
The scholarly connections between King’s College London and the Naval War College are deeply entwined. In the late nineteenth century, King’s College London Professor Sir John Laughton assisted U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Stephen B. Luce in efforts to establish the U.S Naval War College. Laughton not only inspired Corbett but many of the ideas attributed to U.S. Navy Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan and the American notion of “sea power” at the dawn of the twentieth century.