Course Information
About this course
The annual Religion and Defence conference is sponsored and hosted by the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre, part of the UK Defence Academy, and is hosted at Beckett House within the Defence Academy’s Shrivenham campus. The conference is organised in conjunction with the International Network for the Study of War and Religion in the Modern World, which was established to promote greater communication and collaboration among academics, pastors, and military professionals engaged with issues concerning religion and armed conflict. The conference comprises plenary addresses, panel discussions, and the presentation of main and ‘lightning' papers.
The themed panels for 2025 included the Liberation of Belsen, Chaplaincy, Ethics and War, Moral Injury, and Paganism and Contemporary Conflicts. In the form of main or 'lightning' papers, the Conference enjoyed presentations which engaged with religious and spiritual traditions in the widest sense, and scholars of many relevant disciplines –and of many faiths and worldviews and none, including Humanism – attended and contributed. This will likewise be the intent for the 2026 Conference.
The programme for 2026 is in the planning stages, and the conference is subject to the approval of a financial abatement.
Please register your interest in attending (without obligation) now. Further details, including booking confirmation, and costs and payment information, will be issued closer to the time.
What you will learn
You will gain and understanding through interaction of issues of faith and belief in the modern defence landscape
How this course will help your career
The armed forces chaplains may accredit this conference for their annual Continuous Ministerial Education allocation.
Entry requirements
Who can attend this course
- Internationals
- Military
- MOD civil servants
- Partners across government (PAG)
Attendees may be required to undertake a Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) Check, dependent on the establishment security posture at the time of the conference
Additional information
How the course will be taught
- Face-to-face
- Online (Virtual)