Head of Conflict Research
Professor Andrew Stewart was a student at King’s College London from 1991 to 2001 where he completed his undergraduate degree and doctorate within the Department of War Studies. He subsequently joined the university’s Defence Studies Department teaching courses on war and conflict. His leadership roles included the academic lead supporting the British military’s senior warfighting course and Assistant Dean responsible for managing the faculty of sixty academics. From 2014 to 2017 he was seconded as Director of Academic Studies at the Royal College of Defence Studies where he advised the three-star civilian commandant and was subsequently appointed as Professor of Modern Conflict History. In 2020 he moved to the Australian National University as Professor of War Studies but the impact of the global pandemic led to him stepping down from his permanent role (he retains visiting professorships at both King’s and ANU). In March 2023 he joined the faculty of the Royal Danish Defence College based in the Institute for Military Operations.
His research covers conflict, diplomacy and international relations with a specific writing focus on the Second World War. An established military historian, he has published more than 30 books, co-edited books, book chapters and peer-reviewed and magazine articles. This includes ‘The First Victory: The Second World War and the East Africa Campaign’ which was runner-up for the Society for Army Historical Research’s prestigious Templer Medal. He is currently working on several projects including a co-authored book with Professor Ashley Jackson assessing the Second World War’s impact on the British Empire (to be published in 2024 by Oxford University Press) and a project examining the private papers of Field Marshal Lord Ironside. He is a trustee for both the internationally renowned Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives and the Society for Military History. He has also supported a number of television and film projects and is currently the historical consultant for the internationally acclaimed ‘SAS Rogue Heroes’.
He retains an interest in contemporary global defence and security issues having previously been the managing director of a geopolitical risk consultancy during which time he advised a Lloyds syndicate on war and global terrorism. He has worked extensively with the British Army and Ministry of Defence in a variety of roles leading engagement and outreach projects across the Sub-Saharan Africa region, most recently from 2018-2019 in Nigeria, the Baltic and Balkan regions and in the Gulf states. He was also a ‘Senior Conflict and Stabilisation Adviser’ within the Stabilisation Unit, a UK government body which supported fragile and post-conflict states. His final role at King’s was to undertake a review of global Executive Education trends and in Australia he advised on the development of stronger links between Defence and academia. Most recently he was a senior adviser working on the establishment of the new Zayed Military University in Abu Dhabi. He has an extensive global network of former students and associates with whom he has worked.