The aim of the centre is to cooperate in research projects with the military and defence industry, and also to bundle research on topics related to defence and resilience. The centre holds space for critical viewpoints, stressed professor of International Security Wolfgang Wagner during the discussion in debate centre 3D.
Further militarisation
Undeniably however, there has been a big shift in the societal attitude towards defence in recent years and the new research centre is part of it: “After a long period of demilitarisation, we now see a further militarisation of society. Especially after the Russian attack on Ukraine in 2022, the intent to refocus on territorial defence has become much more widely supported in the public opinion”, Wagner states, “and VU is not isolated from that development.”
Yarin Eski, associate professor of Public Administration and also on the board of the centre, adds that research collaborations with military organizations also give a chance to follow these organisations in a critical way.
Not building weapons
The new centre will receive no direct funding from the Ministry of Defence. Its only staff is a managing director for two days a week, Marie-Anne van Reijen and all of the researchers will work project-based. “And we are not building weapons”, stresses Van Reijen. “The centre is set up to connect researchers with each other and with third parties like the Ministry of Defence. A first step is to find out which researchers at VU are already working in this field or collaborating with parties like the army.”
For future research collaborations, the same rules apply as for other research projects with third parties: VU researchers remain independent and third parties will have no say in research outcomes. Despite these reassurances, most of the audience − mainly students − has concerns about VU collaborating with military institutions. What if the military companies we work with have ties with Israel? What if we collaborate with companies that are also exporting weapons? What if our knowledge is used by violent regimes to enhance their power and suppress other voices?
‘Warmongering’
Although the three members of the panel did their best to answer these questions, the audience remained quite sceptical. Universities should stay away from military research, seemed to be the general opinion. Wagner pointed out that such a choice comes with certain consequences: “In the Netherlands, the distance between the military and society is quite big. This is unlike other countries, like for example Finland and Switzerland, where a large group of reservists has a gun at home and can be summoned to defend the country at any time. Personally, I am not sure the first model is the best.”
One student called the statements the panel members made “warmongering” and “hypocritical”. “The defence industry does everything to make us believe that we need more weapons to keep the peace. VU is now joining that rhetoric”, she stated. By the end of the discussion, the differences in viewpoints were not bridged, but the critical remarks were at least heard by the panel.