The Council on Geostrategy is an independent non-profit think tank based in Westminster, London, England. It was founded in March 2021 by James Rogers,[1] the director of research, and Viktorija Starych-Samuolienė,[2] the director of strategy. The Council on Geostrategy focuses shaping HM Government's foreign and defence policy in an "international environment characterised by geopolitical competition and environmental crisis".[3] The organisation has research projects spanning the Euro-Atlantic, Indo-Pacific and Polar regions and has a particular focus on naval power.[4] [5] [6]
The Council on Geostrategy's stated aims are to:
The Indo-Pacific Project, launched in December 2023, publishes on the UK engagement with the region after the Indo-Pacific ‘tilt’ in British foreign policy from the 2021 Integrated Review.[9]
The Strategic Advantage Cell, launched in November 2023, focuses on Britain’s naval power,[10] space capabilities, alliances and technological developments like hypersonic weapons.[11]
The Council also established a trilateral commission in February 2023, publishing on the British-Polish-Ukrainian relationship. In 2024, Secretary of State’s Office of Net Assessment and Challenge commissioned a Point Paper with the Council on Geostrategy ‘calling on the British government to collaborate with allies in providing Ukraine with long-range and advanced weapons’ [12] for the use against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Council on Geostrategy has an online magazine, ‘Britain's World’, which publishes a weekly geopolitical affairs round-up, open briefings with recommendations to the Government and analysis from foreign policy experts.
The Council on Geostrategy runs a podcast in partnership with BAE Systems and ADS Group called ‘Defence Talks: Securing UK Advantage’. Each episode features figures with expertise in foreign affairs to discuss geopolitics and defence.
The Council on Geostrategy hosted the First Sea Lord's Sea Power Conference in 2023 and 2024, with keynote addresses from:
The Council on Geostrategy hosts events to facilitate the debate on key geostrategy issues.[16] The Geostrategy Forum[17] and Whitehall Briefing series are round-table discussions that feature presentations by a Whitehall official, senior parliamentarians, and naval officers, followed by a question-and-answer session. The Council also hosts public events in the Palace of Westminster, providing a platform for discussion on various political topics.
The Council on Geostrategy published a Defence Pledge in April 2024 calling on all political parties to pledge 2.5% spending on defence in their manifesto.[18] The Pledge received 30 signatures from senior Parliamentarians, Committee Chairs, former Defence Secretaries, and former leaders of the British Armed Forces.[19]