European security and defence in the shadow of Brexit

Abstract

The British referendum on EU membership on 23 June 2016 has marked a watershed in European affairs. The purpose of this forum is to examine the implications of the outcome of the referendum in one of the areas where the UK is one of the most decisive players on the European stage: security and defence policy. Without recourse to the kinds of hyperbole and speculation that has prevailed in some parts of the media and wider commentary on Brexit, the forum sets Brexit within a wider context, one that establishes pre-existing trends and dynamics in European security and defence affairs. So, each forum author is able to offer judgements and observations grounded in deep understanding of pre-Brexit developments in their respective area of expertise. They look specifically at the two major security and defence actors in the EU, namely France and Germany, and their cooperation in the area of defence procurement. Moreover, they examine Brexit from the perspective of Europe’s main partners (and rivals) in the wider world, in particular Russia and the United States in the context of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Keywords:

• Brexit
• defence
• European Union
• security
• United Kingdom

Acknowledgement

This forum benefited from a workshop and a roundtable organized in the framework of a Commissioning Fund by the Economic and Social Research Council’s “The UK in a Changing Europe” initiative.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Benjamin Kienzle is a Lecturer in Defence Studies and an Associate Researcher at the Centre for Science & Security Studies (CSSS) at King’s College London. His current research focuses on multilateral security cooperation, in particular in Europe. He has published articles in this area in international journals such as International Affairs, Cooperation and Conflict, Mediterranean Politics and the Journal of World Trade.

Ellen Hallams is a Senior Lecturer in the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London. Her research interests centre on US leadership of NATO during the Bush and Obama presidencies and the dynamics shaping the transatlantic bargain in the twenty-first century. She is founder of the Defence Studies Department Transatlantic Studies Research Group.

ORCID

Benjamin Kienzle https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6185-4814