Duncan Depledge

Duncan Depledge is a Senior Lecturer in Geopolitics and Security at Loughborough University, serving as School Director of Study Exchange and leading the Sustainable Transitions Under Environment Change (STUEC) research challenge within the School of Social Sciences and Humanities. He holds a Ph.D. from Royal Holloway, University of London, and advanced degrees from the University of Cambridge and University of Sheffield. His research focuses on climate change’s impact on military operations, Arctic geopolitics, and defense strategy adaptation.

Depledge’s professional experience includes roles at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), where he advised on climate security, and as Special Adviser to the UK House of Commons Defence Committee during its Arctic inquiry. He currently serves as an Associate Fellow at RUSI, Senior Research Associate with the Oxford/British Army Climate Change & (In)Security Project, and Visiting Fellow at the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre. He also contributes to Arctic governance through roles in the UK Arctic & Antarctic Partnership and the University of the Arctic’s Geopolitics and Security Thematic Network.

His research interests emphasize intersections between climate change, military strategy, and Arctic sovereignty. Recent work explores low-carbon warfare, defense policy adaptation to environmental shifts, and Arctic security dynamics. Depledge’s publications analyze polar geopolitics, NATO’s Arctic role, and UK-Norway defense collaboration. His book Britain and the Arctic (2018) examines UK-Arctic relations. He remains engaged in policy circles, bridging academic research with practical defense and environmental security challenges.