Jack Watling Keynote Speaker

Senior Research Fellow, Land Warfare, RUSI (2019–present)
Global Fellow, Wilson Center (2022–2025)
Author, The Arms of the Future (2023)

Jack Watling's Biography

Dr Jack Watling is an incisive analyst of contemporary conflict and force development. As Senior Research Fellow for Land Warfare at the Royal United Services Institute, he advises UK and allied militaries on future operating concepts and has been embedded with forces from the Donbas to the Sahel. His authoritative, on-the-ground perspective makes him a sought-after keynote speaker on the realities of high-intensity war.

Watling’s research has taken him to Ukraine throughout Russia’s invasion, to Iraq during the campaign against Daesh, and to Mali and Rwanda, giving him first-hand insight into how modern armies adapt under fire. Working alongside frontline commanders, he analyses how technology—from drones to electronic warfare—reshapes tactics, logistics and deterrence.

A Global Fellow with the Wilson Center (2022–2025), Watling publishes widely in leading journals and advises government committees. His book The Arms of the Future (2023) charts the evolution of close combat in the information age. In 2023 he received RUSI’s prestigious Trench Gascoigne Prize for contemporary military analysis.

On stage, Watling blends vivid field reportage with strategic clarity, equipping audiences—from corporate leaders to defence professionals—with actionable frameworks for resilience, innovation and decision-making in volatile environments. He demystifies complex military trends and explains their implications for geopolitics, security investment and organisational readiness.

Modern land warfare & future force design

Battlefield innovation: lessons from Ukraine

Deterrence strategies against authoritarian states

Electronic warfare & multi-domain operations

Military adaptation in high-intensity conflict

He advises UK and allied militaries on force development and future operating concepts as Senior Research Fellow for Land Warfare at RUSI, drawing on frontline experience from Ukraine to the Sahel.
He translates the realities of high intensity conflict, from drone warfare to electronic disruption, into clear strategic insight for leaders assessing security risk and organisational resilience.
He combines field research alongside frontline commanders with rigorous policy analysis, offering audiences a grounded understanding of how modern armies adapt under pressure.
He is an award winning military analyst and author of The Arms of the Future whose briefings clarify the implications of emerging technologies for deterrence, investment and defence strategy.
His presentations equip corporate and government audiences with practical frameworks to navigate volatility, stress test assumptions and prepare for an era of sustained geopolitical competition.