Mr
James
Black
Deputy Director, RAND Europe
James Black is Deputy Director of the Defence, Security and Justice group at RAND Europe, the non-profit research institute and European arm of RAND. He also leads the RAND Europe Space Hub (RESH). He was previously a NATO 2030 Fellow. He has led a number of studies for European ministries of defence on Integrated Air and Missile Defence and the impact of emerging technologies and advised the NATO Parliamentary Assembly on integrating DEWs to the force mix. He holds an MA and MSc in international security from Sciences Po and LSE.
Information provided is current as of September 2026
From the Author
Bringing Directed Energy Weapons into Focus
Integrating Emerging Capabilities into NATO Air Defence
For some, directed energy weapons (DEWs) represent the realisation of a ‘Star Wars’ vision of modern conflict, and a timely solution to proliferating air, missile, and drone threats. The reality is that years of research [...]
