Dr Dafydd Townley
Biography
I joined the University of Portsmouth's Military Education Team in August 2021. Prior to this, I held a number of contracts at the University of Reading and St Mary's University Twickenham where I was employed as an American specialist in their history departments. Under the supervision of Dr Mara Oliva, I was awarded my PhD in history by the University of Reading in May 2015. My thesis, entitled Spies, Civil Liberties and the Senate, explored the influence of public opinion on 1975 Senate investigation of the US intelligence community. My thesis was the basis of my debut monograph, The Year of Intelligence in the United States, published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2021. In addition to my PhD, I also hold an MA in United States Studies: History and Politics from University College London and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in History from London Metropolitan University. I am also an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Research interests
My research focuses on influences on US national security policy. The subject of my monograph is the influence of public opinion on the investigations into the US intelligence community in 1975. My current research explores the development of US cybersecurity policy from the 1980s to the present day. It examines congressional responsibility for oversight of federal cybersecurity, the development of the cyber industrial complex, the role that the Idaho National Laboratory plays in federal cybersecurity policy, and the use of cybersecurity as a tool for diplomacy. Other research interests include the US presidency, US intelligence community, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and information operations.
Research outputs
2024
US election: officials are issued with panic buttons as attacks on ballot boxes continue
Townley, D. L.
1 Nov 2024, In: The Conversation
Vice-presidential hopeful Tim Walz embraces his small-town values and wants other Americans to do the same
Townley, D. L.
22 Aug 2024, In: The Conversation
Why Kamala Harris has a head start in the race to replace Joe Biden
Townley, D. L.
22 Jul 2024, In: The Conversation
Trump tones down his rhetoric as he prepares for ‘coronation’ at Republican National Convention
Townley, D. L.
15 Jul 2024, In: The Conversation
Will Joe Biden step down? An expert Q & A
Townley, D. L.
5 Jul 2024, In: The Conversation
A blue ribbon goat: the Rockefeller Commission, public opinion, and the Ford administration’s intelligence reform failure
Townley, D. L.
28 Jun 2024, In: Intelligence and National Security
Biden v Trump: what are the five things we learned from the presidential debate?
Townley, D. L.
28 Jun 2024, In: The Conversation
Trump guilty verdict: the fallout for US democracy
Townley, D. L.
31 May 2024, In: The Conversation
State of the Union: Biden hits back at critics as he warns of threats to democracy at home and overseas
Townley, D. L.
8 Mar 2024, In: The Conversation
Russia's space weapon: anti-satellite systems are indiscriminate, posing a risk to everyone's spacecraft
Powell, M. L., Townley, D. L.
19 Feb 2024, In: The Conversation