Frans Osinga appointed as Professor by special appointment: War Studies
Frans Osinga has recently been appointed as Professor by special appointment of War Studies at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs in the Hague. Osinga is both professor and an officer of the Dutch Royal Air Force. Given current global developments, the concept of ‘war’ is far from an abstract concept.
Recurring drone and cyberattacks, the fight against ISIS, the nuclear rivalry between the USA and Russia; today’s newspapers are filled with troubling news on global politics. What happens when diplomacy fails? At what time do states need to start thinking about deploying their armies? The War Studies Chair has been created to provide more research into international security and the nature of modern warfare.
The Subject of War
In the Netherlands, the disciplines of ‘war studies’ and ‘strategic studies’ are relatively small, which is why this appointment provides a positive impulse for educational programmes on conflict and military studies. The chair also fulfills an important public task: raising awareness in society on peace and war knowledge.
Defense and Academia
Considering his background as a fighter pilot, Frank Osinga is undoubtedly ideally suited as professor in War Studies. Besides flying as a pilot for eight years, he also worked at the strategic headquarters of NATO in the United States. As professor, he has been the head of the department of military science at the Nederlandse Defensie Academie (the Dutch military academy) in Breda. Osinga started his academic career at the Military Academy, obtained his PhD at Leiden University and worked as a research fellow at the the Clingendael Institute. His latest publication is titled ‘The Security of Northern Europe'.
Collaboration KVBK
The chair has been made possible by the KVBK, the Dutch royal association promoting the knowledge of military science. It provides a platform for military personnel, academics, policy makers, students, and others interested in the discipline. The platform’s goal is to promote education and research in military sciences. The collaboration between ISGA and KVBK is based a shared vision on a multidisciplinary approach of security and conflict. As professor in War Studies, Osinga will focus on subjects such as current developments and ongoing debates on modern warfare, the role of the military as an instrument of security politics, the challenges of peace operations, military strategic theories, and the social and political perspectives on military violence.
Osinga will not only conduct his own research, he will also mentor a number of PhD students and give several lectures on war and strategy as part of two courses in the minor Global Affairs and the Security Studies bachelor’s programme at ISGA.