US Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus at RUSI

In October, RUSI hosted the Honorable Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy, US Department of Defense, for an exclusive round table attended by senior RUSI staff and associates, government officials, and senior academics and analysts.

Secretary Mabus outlined the challenges facing his Navy and Marine Corps as they too, like the UK, face up to the requirements of continuing to operate globally in an ever more complex environment but with ever more constrained resources.

Secretary Mabus outlined several core challenges, including the need to find more sustainable energy resources, because of increasing energy costs and because of the degree of current dependence on access to resources found in increasingly volatile areas, and the need to reform acquisition processes - and drive down costs - if the US is to be able to build a navy of the required size and capability in a resource constrained environment.

Secretary Mabus also spoke of his primary responsibility - the duty of care to sailors, Marines and their families.

Given the UK's publication of the SDSR, the round table also discussed the importance of the UK's continued commitment to the Royal Navy being a self-sufficient force and a continued global power.