Nuclear
The Last Patrol
The United Kingdom has maintained a continuous at-sea deterrent (CASD) since 1969, code-named Operation Relentless, meaning at least one nuclear-armed submarine is always on patrol, hidden in the world's oceans.
Security
Thought Leader
What Cybersecurity Gets Wrong About the New Space Race
The sky has changed, but our security playbooks have not. Satellites now underpin navigation, finance, logistics, media, and military operations. They are no longer rare, government-only assets. They are cloud-connected, software-defined, and commercially operated at scale. Yet much of cybersecurity still treats space as exotic and separate, a future problem
Musings
Europe's Orbital Awakening: How the EU Space Act Rewrites the Rules of Allied Deterrence
On June 20th, 2025, the European Commission quietly released a draft regulation that is one of the most geopolitically consequential documents of the year. Titled the EU Space Act, it mandates new cybersecurity, resilience, and environmental standards for all space systems operating within the Union. On the surface, it appears
Security
Rearming the Ladder: Britain’s F-35A Move and the Return of Tactical Deterrence
The UK’s announcement that it will procure F-35A Lightning II jets and formally commit to NATO’s nuclear sharing mission marks a subtle but significant shift in its approach to deterrence, escalation, and alliance solidarity. After years of strategic ambiguity and a doctrine that placed Trident as the singular
Musings
Ladders and Leverage: Rethinking the UK's Nuclear Deterrent in an Era of Strategic Ambiguity
@jayallen.pro [Bluesky] | LinkedIn As the United Kingdom enters a new era of strategic competition, marked by the resurgence of great power rivalry, the weaponisation of space and cyberspace, and the erosion of arms control norms, questions about how the UK manages escalation and deterrence are becoming more urgent. The
AI
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the AI
I’d just finished watching Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb when the idea for this blog struck me. Kubrick’s absurd, satirical take on Cold War nuclear brinkmanship felt eerily relevant, not because we’re on the edge of nuclear war, but
AI
The Identity Crisis: How AI is Reshaping the Security Landscape of Identity and Access Management
Organisations face an unprecedented challenge in the rapidly evolving digital landscape: balancing artificial intelligence’s (AI) transformative potential with the fundamental need to secure identity and access management (IAM) systems. As we integrate AI more deeply into our security infrastructure, we must confront the remarkable opportunities and the sobering risks
Musings
The Rise of OSINT: Exploring Its Place in the Intelligence World
In recent years, open-source intelligence (OSINT) has emerged as a critical tool for gathering and analysing information from publicly available sources. As the digital landscape continues to expand, the potential for OSINT to provide valuable insights has grown exponentially. In this blog post, we’ll explore OSINT, its place in
Musings
The Future Defence of Europe: Nuclear Deterrence and the Domains of Cyber and Space
As Europe faces an increasingly complex security environment, questions around the continent’s future defence posture have taken on renewed urgency. The spectre of Russian aggression, underscored by the ongoing war in Ukraine, as well as the imminent return of Donald Trump to the White House, will force European leaders
Musings
The Spectre of Cyber Espionage: A 21st Century Cold War?
As I delve deeper into my Master’s in Global Security Studies, I find myself drawn to the current events unfolding in the news. The upcoming elections in the U.S. and U.K. have sparked my curiosity about the hidden world of global intelligence, espionage, and secret communication. This
Musings
Embracing the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0: A Leap Forward for Cybersecurity Leaders
In the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has recently unveiled a significant update to its widely adopted Cybersecurity Framework (CSF). The NIST CSF 2.0 introduces substantial changes and enhancements, marking a pivotal moment for CISOs and cybersecurity leaders to reassess their strategies and
Flying
The Skies Aren't So Friendly: Managing Cybersecurity Risks in Aviation
The aviation industry has always been at the forefront of technological innovation. From the early pioneers who took to the skies in rickety wooden craft to the development of massive 400-ton aircraft that can fly halfway around the world nonstop, aviation has constantly evolved to leverage the latest and greatest