James Black is a Research Leader at RAND Europe, the European arm of the RAND Corporation.
RAND is a not-for-profit research institute whose aim is to help improve policy and decision making through objective research and analysis. It has over 70 years’ experience researching defence and national security issues for governments in the US and Europe, as well as NATO and EU institutions. Today, RAND has offices in the US, UK, Belgium and Australia.
James has led a wide range of both unclassified and classified studies on European defence and security issues for governments and multinational institutions. His portfolio includes defence strategy, policy and concepts; the future of NATO and EU defence; the impact of future threats and emerging technology; defence innovation and industrial strategy; and the dynamics of multinational defence cooperation. In addition, James also designs strategic-level war-games for the UK Ministry of Defence and others, including leading on the Strategic Exercise component of the Royal College of Defence Studies. His research has been featured by BBC News, the Financial Times, Politico, Reuters and other outlets, as well as academic journals (e.g., Survival) and he has presented oral evidence to the UK Defence Select Committee.
Prior to joining RAND Europe, James worked in the UK Parliament as well as at Transparency International’s Defence and Security Programme. He holds a dual MA-MSc in International Security and International Relations from Sciences Po Paris and the London School of Economics, as well as a BA Hons in History from the University of Cambridge.