Centre Activities

Professor Andrew Mumford provides oral evidence to the Defence Committee 

Professor Andrew Mumford has recently provided oral evidence to the Defence Committee review on Defence in the Grey Zone.

SUIT members Rory Cormac, Sean Fleming, Dan Lomas, Andrew Mumford, Wyn Rees, and Bettina Renz all contributed to the written report, suggesting there needed to be greater coordination of counter grey-zone activity, forming part of a wider range of recommendations on government responses to threats from nation states.

In his oral evidence to the Committee, Professor Mumford said "Hybrid threats pose a massive challenge to liberal democracies, in large part because liberal democracies are forced to try to find an appropriate balance between combating these grey zone threats on the one hand and protecting our own values system on the other”. 

SUIT provide written evidence to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee's inquiry on 'Defence in the Grey Zone'

Members of SUIT responded to a call from the Defence Committee to provide evidence on defence in the grey zone. 

The grey zone is defined as coercive activities that “…fall below perceived thresholds for military action and across areas of responsibility of different parts of the government”. SUIT emphasised that it is vital to integrate Defence into wider cross-government activity, that grey zone activities are a force multiplier and can only ever be a contributing factor to any particular outcome, and that the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 demonstrates that Russia does not view such activities as a way of warfare that is distinct from, or an alternative to, armed conflict.

The evidence report was co-authored by SUIT members Rory Cormac, Sean Fleming, Dan Lomas, Andrew Mumford, Alexander Piechowski, Wyn Rees, and Bettina Renz.

Read the full document.

SUIT members visit Washington

In June 2023, a SUIT delegation visited Washington DC. Rory Cormac, Louise Kettle, Jason Klocek and Andrew Mumford held a busy week of talks, meetings and roundtables to further develop existing international partnerships and develop exciting new international research collaborations.

Highlights included meeting with colleagues from Johns Hopkins and Georgetown, and a roundtable at the United States Institute of Peace at which Jason is a Senior Researcher. The delegation also enjoyed meeting analysts at CNA in Arlington, whilst Rory delivered talks for the Smithsonian Associates and the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress.

SUIT Director, Rory Cormac, said: "We are incredibly grateful to be given the opportunity to visit DC en masse. The approach worked really well and turned into a very productive trip. We are looking forward to building on the success by engaging in further international collaborations. Watch this space!"