Dafydd Townley

I joined the University of Portsmouth's Military Education Team in August 2021 after teaching American political history for six years at the University of Reading and St Mary's University Twickenham.

I was awarded my PhD in history by the University of Reading in May 2015. My thesis was the basis of my debut monograph, The Year of Intelligence in the United States, published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2021.

I was elected Chair of the American Politics Group in 2025, the UK's largest group associated with the teaching and research of American politics. I have been part of the group's executive committe since 2016.

Since 2025, I have been one of the Co Lead Editors of Political Studies Review, one of the Political Studies Association's flagship journals, along with other colleagues at the University of Portsmouth.

My research focuses on influences on US national security policy and the motivating factors behind policy decision making.

The subject of my monograph was the influence of public opinion on the 1975 investigations into the US intelligence community. I have written extensively on the enquiries and their impact on the 1976 presidential election.

My current research explores the history of US cyber-related strategies from the 1980s to the present day, with a particular focus on the development of cyber diplomacy as a tool of international relations.

In addition, my colleague Matthew Powell and I have published work discussing challenges for academics in Professional Military Education, drawn on our experience of working at RAF College Cranwell.

Matthew and I are also current co-editors, along with David Oakley and Celestino Perez, of a Handbook for Professional Military Education, under contract with Routledge and due for delivery in autumn 2026.