The Council on Geostrategy is a non-profit think tank based in Westminster, London, England, focusing on shaping HM Government's foreign and defence policy in an "international environment characterised by geopolitical competition and environmental crisis". [1] The organisation has research projects spanning the Euro-Atlantic, Indo-Pacific and Polar regions and has a particular focus on naval power. [2] [3] [4]
The Council on Geostrategy's stated aims are to:
The Council on Geostrategy has 5 research programmes.
Phones4U founder and philanthropist John Caudwell sponsors the Caudwell Strong Britain research project which focuses on the UK's science and technology base and progression towards Net Zero. [5] [6] In June 2024, a CoG report discussed how Britain can adapt its science and technology infrastructure to respond to the challenges posed by climate change. [7]
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. [8]
The Strategic Advantage Cell, launched in November 2023, focuses on Britain's naval power, [9] [10] space capabilities, alliances and technological developments like hypersonic weapons. [11]
The Sea Power Laboratory, established in November 2024, publishes research on UK maritime security and industry. [12]
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" [13] for the use against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The council was founded in March 2021 by James Rogers, [14] the director of research, and Viktorija Starych-Samuolienė, [15] the director of strategy. [16]
On 16 September 2021, ir UK National Security Adviser Stephen Lovegrove gave an inaugural speech for the Council on Geostrategy, largely addressing the consequences of the recent western withdrawal from Afghanistan. [2] On 14 October 2021, an inaugural residential conference was held at Wilton Park, the Foreign Office conference centre, titled "Extending ‘Global Britain’ through naval diplomacy" with keynote speaker the First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Tony Radakin. [17] The new First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Ben Key gave a speech at a meeting of the council the following year titled "Geopolitical realignment in a maritime century", held at The Naval and Military Club in London. [3]
The Council receives funding from defence industry companies BAE Systems, Boeing, Leonardo UK, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and Thales. It receives funding from the UK government through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK Ministry of Defence and Royal Navy. [18]
In 2025, the two largest funders were Lockheed Martin and the Taipei Representative Office in the United Kingdom, with second tier funders of BAE Systems, John Caudwell and the Royal Navy. [18]
The Council on Geostrategy hosts events to facilitate the debate on key geostrategy issues. [19] The Geostrategy Forum 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. [20]
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 publishes three online magazines, using the Substack platform. Britain's World is a weekly geopolitical affairs summary with open briefings from defence and foreign affairs experts and recommendations to the Government. Observing China analyses British-Chinese relations and the Peoples Republic of China's international posture. The Broadside analyses world naval affairs. [24]
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. [25] The Pledge received 30 signatures from senior Parliamentarians, Committee Chairs, former Defence Secretaries, and former leaders of the British Armed Forces. [26]
The Council on Geostrategy runs a podcast in partnership with BAE Systems and ADS Group called Defence Talks: Securing UK Advantage, discussing geopolitics and defence. [27]