The Red Team Project: Understanding the Enemy

The Red Team project seeks to provide in-depth analysis of the military forces of adversaries and competitors




Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons


The RUSI Red Team project aims to provide in-depth analysis of the militaries of competitors and adversaries. The subjects we examine range from conceptual developments in the military thinking of key adversaries to more granular discussions of their tactics, techniques, procedures and capabilities. We will provide both multimedia and written analysis of theoretical and practical developments in the military science of rival forces. The purpose of this project is to ensure that Western analysts and practitioners avoid the risk of ‘mirror imaging’ the opponent and retain a clear understanding of the Red Team.

Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Military Reports

We review the Russian and Chinese military and their approaches to technology and modern warfare.

Jamming JDAM: The Threat to US Munitions from Russian Electronic Warfare

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Stalking the Seabed: How Russia Targets Critical Undersea Infrastructure

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The Zircon: How Much of a Threat Does Russia’s Hypersonic Missile Pose?

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Russia’s Iranian-Made UAVs: A Technical Profile

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The Chechens: Putin’s Loyal Foot Soldiers

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Understanding Russia’s Mobilisation

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The Kaleidoscopic Campaigning of Russia’s Special Services

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Can Russia Continue to Fight a Long War?

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The Iskander-M and Iskander-K: A Technical Profile

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Defending Mother Russia’s Skies

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Russia’s Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons and Its Views of Limited Nuclear War

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Dvornikov's Reforms: Tactical Training in the Southern Military District

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Understanding Russia’s Great Games: From Zapad 2013 to Zapad 2021

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The Death of Gorshkov’s Navy: The Future of the Russian Surface Fleet

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Corruption in the Russian Armed Forces

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Technical Reflections on Russia’s Armoured Fighting Vehicles

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Getting to Know the Russian Battalion Tactical Group

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The Intellectual Failures Behind Russia’s Bungled Invasion

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As Far as the Orbital Eye Can See – Chinese ISR Capabilities in Space

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China’s Evolving Nuclear Arsenal: Trajectories and Future Risks

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The PLA Approach to Blockade Operations

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The Distinctive Force Structure of the Expanded PLA Navy Marine Corps

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Chinese Anti-Submarine Warfare Capabilities: A Blunt but Evolving Tool

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People’s Liberation Army Ground Forces Logistics

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UCAVs Are Likely to Form a Core Part of the Future PLAAF Arsenal

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China’s Reconnaissance Strike Complex: Echoes of Imperial Japan’s Strategy?

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The PLA’s Continued Emphasis on Subsonic Anti-Ship Missiles

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The China Military Report: Electronic Warfare and the People’s Liberation Army

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Adversarial Studies Seminars

Watch the videos

Episode 23: Assessing the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Personnel
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Episode 22: Exploring the Sino-Russian Relationship
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Episode 21: Western Technology at the Heart of Russia's Military Machine
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Episode 20: Threat based planning: an optimal framework for optimising against adversaries?
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Episode 19: How the War in Ukraine is Evolving
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Episode 18: The War in Ukraine and Taiwan’s Defensive Planning
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Episode 17: Analysing the Performance of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine
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Episode 16: The 21st Century Urban Battlespace
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Episode 15: The Russian Army’s Approach to Warfare
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Episode 14: Innovation and Great Power Competition
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Episode 13: Granularity in the Grey Zone: Distinct Adversary Approaches to Sub-Threshold Competition
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Episode 12: The Rise of China’s Navy in the Indo-Pacific: Challenges and Response Options
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Episode 11: Russian Strategic Thinking and the Kremlin’s Approach to Coercion
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Episode 10: Forceful Persuasion: The Psychology of Convincing an Opponent They Are Beaten
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Episode 9: Living with Uncertainty: The Assumptions Underpinning Chinese Nuclear Strategy
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Episode 8: Countering Malign Information Operations: The Lithuanian Experience
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Episode 7: Carried Over the Threshold: Hybrid Tactics and Responses
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Episode 6: The Information Domain Threat Environment
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Episode 5: Deterrence on NATO’s Eastern Flank: The Challenge of IAMD
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Episode 4: Anti-satellite Weapons
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Episode 3: Integrated Coercion: The Case of China
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Episode 2: Iranian Command and Control for Proxy Warfare
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Episode 1: Russian and Chinese Air Defences
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