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I am a foreign policy scholar and practitioner focused on contingency contracting and security force assistance, having earned my PhD from King's College London's Defence Studies Department at the UK Joint Services Command and Staff College. Feel free to learn more about my academic work and extracurriculars in the tabs above, and please do reach out if there are any synergies between my work/interests and yours! |
Current Projects
I am currently co-editing a book on African Special Operations Forces with Dr. Folahanmi Aina, and editing a book on Security Sector Collaboration in Africa. Please find the calls for chapters below to learn more about these projects.
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Current Engagement
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I have the privilege of being one of the Irregular Warfare Initiative (IWI)'s 2025 fellows. IWI supports the community of professionals dedicated to advancing irregular warfare. Our mission is to promote the integration of irregular warfare expertise into contemporary national security strategies. In partnership with Princeton’s Empirical Studies of Conflict Project and the Modern War Institute at West Point, IWI serves as a collaborative hub for thought leadership and dialogue. IWI aims to bridge the gap between scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to support the community of irregular warfare professionals. |
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I was selected as an Advisory Network member for the United Nations on Security Sector Reform in 2021. The Network aims to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and practice on SSR among a diverse group of experts from different cultural and geographical backgrounds and fields of expertise. The Network functions as an informal and collaborative community of SSR experts from around the world who are interested in sharing knowledge and in providing evidence-based advice to the review and further development of United Nations guidance and policies on SSR.
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The International Code of Conduct Association (ICoCA) is a multi-stakeholder initiative formed in 2013 to ensure that providers of private security services respect human rights and humanitarian law. It serves as the governance and oversight mechanism of the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers (the “Code”). The Code was finalised in 2010, the result of a multi-stakeholder initiative launched by Switzerland. The Code articulates responsibilities of private security companies under human rights and international humanitarian law to ensure the responsible provision of private security services, particularly when operating in complex environments. ICoCA’s mission is to raise private security industry standards and practices that respect human rights and international humanitarian law and to engage with key stakeholders to achieve widespread adherence to its Code globally. I have been a formal ICoCA Observer since 2023.
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The International Studies Association's (ISA) International Security Studies Section (ISSS) is dedicated to enhancing knowledge and understanding about a wide range of international security issues including war and peace, military effectiveness, civil-military relations, alliances and security institutions, terrorism, intervention, peacekeeping, and the political economy of violence, among others. I have been elected to serve on the ISSS Governing Board for a 2023-26 service term and hat sat on committees for the ISSS Annual Best Book Award and Emerging Scholar Award.
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Recent Collaborative Projects
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Chapter 3: Contracted Contributions to the Security Force Assistance Enterprise in “Enhancing Stabilization and Strategic Partnership in a Post-Conflict Environment. A Comprehensive Approach to Human Security”. NATO Security Force Assistance Center of Excellence. 2024.
This publication, prepared by an international group of experts with the support of the NATO Allied Command Operations Office of Legal Affairs (ACO OLA) at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) and the International Institute of Humanitarian Law (IIHL), comprises thirteen chapters analysing the various aspects and challenges of SFA in enhancing stabilization and strategic partnerships in post-conflict environments, with a particular focus on the importance of Human Security. This book is divided into four main parts, each delving into a variety of key themes that require particular attention such as security sector reform, inter-religious dialogue, protection of cultural heritage, gender equality, internal displacement, protection of civilians, water security, child protection and sexual violence. The research also remarks the importance of the lessons gained from Alliance operations, missions and current scenarios. Drawing on the insights of the wide variety of experts, practitioners and scholars who collaborated in the writing of this book, each chapter holds tangible relevance and serves to catalyse sustainable development efforts in Host Nations and their associated Institutions. The ultimate aim of this comprehensive research is to promote the adoption of best practices, guiding principles as well as foster sustained cooperation and partnership among international stakeholders. Indeed, fostering local ownership and sustainable development is the key strategy for a Host Nation to master security and stability on its own, which is essential for comprehensive long-term independence. |
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Journal of African Military History. Things Fall Apart: Soviet Assistance to the Somali Armed Forces, 1960–1977. 6 October 2022.As Cold War tensions rose, Soviet aid was offered to the nascent Somali government in pursuit of broader geopolitical machinations that were seen to supersede Somali interests, laying the groundwork for a decades-long mismatch between local intentions and Cold War superpower objectives in the Horn of Africa. Vast quantities of materiel and training were provided to Somalia from 1960 onwards, and by 1976 Somalia boasted a 22,000-man army and was the fourth most heavily armed nation in Sub-Saharan Africa, largely due to Soviet largesse. One year later, the Soviets were expelled and the assistance ceased, having left Somalia with an unsustainable, corrupt, and repressive security structure as a direct result of high levels of foreign assistance that were not well coordinated with host nation sustainment capabilities.
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