On 19 November 2025, the annual Martin Edmonds Memorial Lecture was delivered by the former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Sir Richard Shirreff. He discussed 'The strategic implications of Russia’s war in Ukraine'.

Sir Richard drew from his extensive experience of the front line and of command and strategic insight. In his 37-year career, General Shirreff commanded soldiers on operations at every level from platoon to division. This included combat in the Gulf War of 1991 as a tank squadron leader and again in Iraq as a divisional commander, together with other operations in Northern Ireland, Kosovo and Bosnia.

He had extensive staff experience at brigade, Army HQ and in the Ministry of Defence. He commanded NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and his final military assignment was NATO’s 4 Star Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR). In February 2016 he co-founded Strategia Worldwide Ltd, a global risk advisory company, which has since built up a sizeable portfolio of clients across different sectors.

In his lecture, General Shirreff pointed to the imperial mindsight of the Russian government, deeply ingrained throughout Russia’s history and evidenced in speeches by Vladamir Putin.

He issued a rallying cry to the UK and its European allies, calling for unity of purpose to confront Russian aggression – putting aside ad hoc and piecemeal military aid for Ukraine in favour of a co-ordinated strategy.

Recalling the adage ‘if you seek peace, prepare for war’, General Shirreff reminded his audience that weakness and unpreparedness invited war, and that only through demonstrable strength will aggressors be deterred.

He enjoined UK powers to consider the ‘unthinkable’ to achieve that strength, in the form of conscription.

The Lecture was co-hosted by the Centre for War and Diplomacy, Security Lancaster, and the Lancaster Military Heritage Group – drawing from Lancaster’s strength in multi-disciplinary and cross-chronological research on war and security and the region’s connections with the UK armed forces across generations.

The series honours the memory of Professor Martin Edmonds (died 2018), who led the former Centre for Defence and International Security Studies at Lancaster University. He contributed to the UK’s first Strategic Defence Review in 1997-98 and established a programme in Defence Analysis.

The CWD and Security Lancaster continue this tradition at Lancaster University, developing research and working with government and defence industry partners nationally and in the North West, which lies at the heart of the UK’s national defence and security ecosystem.

In autumn 2026, Lancaster launches a new suite of postgraduate training in Defence and Security (MA, PGDip, PG Cert). The programme equips candidates to comprehend, analyse and address today’s defence and security challenges, preparing them to pursue or develop a career in government or the defence industry, think tanks and policy making, journalism, the armed forces or research. It combines insights from across academic disciplines, from the historical and cultural contexts of global regions to emerging cyber and military technologies, conflict ethics and international and humanitarian law. More information can be found on the programme website.