This second seminar in the series, which is jointly organised by the IIEA, the RIA Standing Committee and the Commission on the Defence Forces, contributes to advance expert and public debate on the future development of the Irish Defence Forces. This expert panel, chaired by Ben Tonra, examines the process of military transformation to 2030 and beyond, including structures, capabilities and staffing. Panelists also address the expanding role of technology and lessons learned from the experience of other small countries across the air, land and maritime domains. 

Panel: 

Dr Raluca Csernatoni, Guest Professor at the Brussels School of Governance, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Visiting Scholar at Carnegie Europe  

Lieutenant General Tim Keating, Former Chief of New Zealand Defence Force 

Dr. Ulrike Franke, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)

Professor Greg Kennedy, Professor of Strategic Foreign Policy, King’s College London (KCL) 

About the speakers:

Dr Raluca Csernatoni is a guest professor at the Institute for European Studies at the Free University of Brussels (VUB). Raluca Csernatoni is also a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe, where she works on European security and defense with a specific focus on disruptive technologies.  

Lieutenant General Tim Keating was Chief of Defence Force from 2014 to 2018. Under his command, the Defence Force helped train Iraqi personnel to respond to the rise of ISIL in the Middle East and contributed to anti-piracy efforts in the region. He strengthened New Zealand’s international military relationships and oversaw effective responses to a series of natural disasters. Lieutenant General Keating steered the development of a 10-year strategy for a more integrated Defence Force. 

Dr. Ulrike Franke is a Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). She leads ECFR’s Technology and European Power initiative. Her areas of focus include German and European security and defence, the future of warfare, and the impact of new technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence on geopolitics and warfare. Dr Franke has published widely on these and other topics, and regularly appears as commentator in the media.

Greg Kennedy is Professor of Strategic Foreign Policy at King’s College London and joined the Defence Studies Department in June 2000. He has taught at the Royal Military College of Canada, in Ontario, Canada, for both the History and War Studies Departments. He is an adjunct professor of that university. He has published internationally on strategic foreign policy issues, maritime defence, disarmament, diplomacy and intelligence.