2020
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RUSI Defence Systems
March 2020 , No: 1
From Multirole to Modularity
RUSI Defence Systems, December 2020Jack Watling
Three decades of low-intensity warfare has led to the development of numerous exquisite platforms, bristling with capability, but their cost makes them scarce, and consequently vulnerable. Generating mass and resilience requires federating capabilities.
Enhancing Port and Harbour Security with Unmanned Surface Vehicle Technology
RUSI Defence Systems, December 2020George Galdorisi
Initial trials at the Port of Los Angeles suggest that unmanned surface vehicles offer significant benefits over traditional solutions to providing round-the-clock security coverage for the ports and harbours that underpin the global economy.
National Security, Resilience
Overhyped Hypersonics? Examining the US Navy’s Prompt Strike Ambitions
RUSI Defence Systems, November 2020Sidharth Kaushal
The recent announcement that all US Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyers will carry hypersonic weapons for conventional prompt strike missions raises important questions regarding both the CONOPS guiding conventional prompt strike and the specific value of hypersonics for this mission set
Maritime Forces
Avoiding the Reign of Artificial Stupidity
RUSI Defence Systems, October 2020Jack Watling
Artificial intelligence in war may be a good servant, but it is likely to prove a terrible master, for while the character of stupidity may evolve, its nature remains immutable
The Type 055: A Glimpse into the PLAN’s Developmental Trajectory
RUSI Defence Systems, October 2020Sidharth Kaushal
The Type 055 Renhai destroyer, which displaces 12,000 tonnes, represents a significant advance in People’s Liberation Army Navy blue-water surface combatant vessel capabilities, in terms of both size and complexity
Maritime Forces
The Key to Armenia’s Tank Losses: The Sensors, Not the Shooters
RUSI Defence Systems, October 2020Jack Watling
Amid a lively debate about the viability of the UK’s heavy armour, the loss of over 42 Armenian T-72s to Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh requires further analysis.
Land Forces
A Return to Combat Mass? Modern LIFT/LCA Platforms to Complement the Fighter Fleet
RUSI Defence Systems, September 2020Edward Hunt
The acquisition of combat-capable lead-in fighter trainer/light combat aircraft types to complement traditional fast jet types across less demanding mission sets offers a potential route towards regenerating practical combat mass for medium-sized air forces.
Aerospace
The Missing Link in Britain’s Forces
RUSI Defence Systems, August 2020Jack Watling
If the British Army is to achieve the digital integration that underpins its Information Manoeuvre concept then its recce platforms need Link-16
Land Forces
Where’s the Anti-Tank Reserve?
RUSI Defence Systems, July 2020Jack Watling
The British Army needs a mobile anti-tank reserve capability in order to credibly stop opposing heavy armour during a peer conflict. Without it, outnumbered UK armour will be held at bay while infantry are overwhelmed
Land Forces
Recapitalisation of the US Coast Guard: New Ships for the White, Red and Black Hull Fleets
RUSI Defence Systems, June 2020Edward Lundquist
The US Coast Guard is in the midst of a major fleet reset, with new and more capable platforms to replace an aging fleet of patrol ships, inland tenders and icebreakers.
Domestic Security, Maritime Forces
Spare Me Your Cyber-Age Technobabble
RUSI Defence Systems, June 2020Jack Watling
If Defence is to appropriately weight cyber operations then there are some dangerous myths about the practicalities of cyber warfare that need to be confronted.
Cyber, Technology, UK Defence
A Case for Replacing the RAF’s Sentinel R.1 Fleet with Additional P-8A Poseidon Aircraft
RUSI Defence Systems, May 2020Justin Bronk
The Sentinel R.1 Airborne Standoff Radar aircraft are superb and relatively efficient aircraft which provide critical airborne intelligence gathering services for joint commanders around the world. However, as a small and bespoke fleet they are expensive and vulnerable to cuts. A highly classified US Navy radar pod for the P-8 Poseidon could give the RAF a more efficient solution.
Equipment and Acquisitions
Defence Data Realities
RUSI Defence Systems, April 2020Roland McTeague
There is more to successful data exploitation than buying tools and expertise. It requires hard thinking and basic management. An analytics specialist offers some guidelines for data analytics success in Defence
Information
The Far-Right Radicalisation Pipeline and State War-Fighting Capacity
RUSI Defence Systems, April 2020Jackson Oliver Webster
Online radicalisation is a key feature of contemporary far-right movements, and is not only a worrying domestic security concern for increasing numbers of Western countries, but points to deeper Defence vulnerabilities in future state-on-state crises.
Tackling Extremism, Information
The US Marine Corps is Fixing Itself to Confronting China
RUSI Defence Systems, April 2020Sidharth Kaushal and Jack Watling
The US Marine Corps is reorganizing itself to confront China. Ensuring that it can hold ground and sustain its deployments without diverting naval resources will be a major challenge. Meanwhile US allies in other theatres must adjust to the USMC’s shift in focus
Catch Me If You Can: The Challenges of Orbital Rendezvous and Proximity Operations
RUSI Defence Systems, March 2020Alexandra Stickings
Rendezvous and Proximity Operations in space add a layer of complexity to an already confused conversation concerning weapons in orbit. Consensus regarding their use and potential threat is needed to prevent miscalculations and unwanted escalation of tensions
Aerospace
The British Army Must Extend the Range of its Precision Strike Capability
RUSI Defence Systems, March 2020Jack Senogles
Whilst an effective capability in Afghanistan, the EXACTOR missile is not able to meet the British Army’s emerging precision guided munitions requirements in an Eastern European context
Land Forces
German Decision to Split Tornado Replacement is a Poor One
RUSI Defence Systems, March 2020Justin Bronk
If the reported intention to replace Germany’s ageing Tornado fleet with a mix of up to 90 Eurofighters, 30 Super Hornets and 15 Growlers is correct, the Luftwaffe will be getting the worst of all previously mooted outcomes
Modelling the Vulnerability of Aircraft Carriers in the European Theatre
RUSI Defence Systems, March 2020Sidharth Kaushal
This article uses a variety of salvo combat models to generate a crude outline of the vulnerability of an aircraft carrier manoeuvring in the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea or the Barents Sea in a conflict involving NATO and Russia
Maritime Forces
Your Tanks Cannot Hide
RUSI Defence Systems, March 2020Nick Reynolds and Jack Watling
Massed Turkish drone and artillery strikes against Syrian tanks and armoured vehicles have major implications for the viability of traditional armoured manoeuvre warfare on the modern battlefield
2021
RUSI Defence Systems
Iran in the South Caucasus: Adjustment and Evolution
Rose Roth, language and youth
The Politics of UK Accession to Pacific Free Trade Club