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RUSI covers a broad range of areas affecting defence and international security around the world. See here RUSI commentary, reports, events and videos organised by theme and region. Scroll below for the latest content.
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Persistent Engagement and Strategic Raiding: Leveraging the UK’s Future Carrier Strike Capability to Effect
RUSI Publications, 26 November 2020Sidharth Kaushal
This Occasional Paper examines how the Royal Navy can leverage the potential of its Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers in the context of a strategic environment characterised by persistent...
Military Sciences, Occasional Papers, UK, Maritime Forces
Overhyped Hypersonics? Examining the US Navy’s Prompt Strike Ambitions
Article, 25 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...
Martial Power Programme, Military Sciences, RUSI Defence Systems, Maritime Forces
Forceful Persuasion: The Psychology of Convincing an Opponent They Are Beaten
Multimedia, 25 November 2020From counterinsurgencies to protracted sub threshold competition between states, modern conflict provides both politicians and military men with few clear signposts by which to define victory. How...
Military Sciences, Modern Deterrence
The Geopolitics of Indo-Pacific Trade
Commentary, 25 November 2020Andrew Cainey
While there is talk of a broader ‘Indo-Pacific’, encompassing the Indian Ocean as well as the Pacific, this is not yet reflected in the geopolitics of trade.
China, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, India, Pacific
Is Defence’s Latest Operating Model Fit for Purpose?
Commentary, 24 November 2020Andrew Curtis
The Ministry of Defence has published a new version of its operating model – ‘How Defence Works’ – its first update for almost five years. Given the major changes to Defence ways of working in that...
Armed Forces, UK Defence Policy, UK Integrated Review 2020, UK
The Geopolitics of Indo-Pacific Trade
Commentary, 25 November 2020Andrew Cainey
While there is talk of a broader ‘Indo-Pacific’, encompassing the Indian Ocean as well as the Pacific, this is not yet reflected in the geopolitics of trade.
China, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, India, Pacific
Is Defence’s Latest Operating Model Fit for Purpose?
Commentary, 24 November 2020Andrew Curtis
The Ministry of Defence has published a new version of its operating model – ‘How Defence Works’ – its first update for almost five years. Given the major changes to Defence ways of working in that...
Armed Forces, UK Defence Policy, UK Integrated Review 2020, UK
On the Offensive: The UK’s New Cyber Force
Commentary, 23 November 2020Conrad Prince
The creation of a new National Cyber Force is an important development but should not divert attention from the wider issues around cyber security.
Cyber, Cyber Security, UK Integrated Review 2020, UK
More Than Meets the Eye: Who Benefits Most from Russia’s Ministerial Rotations?
Commentary, 20 November 2020Emily Ferris
A Cabinet reshuffle in Russia raises questions about the country’s future trajectory.
Russia
Ethiopia in Turmoil
Commentary, 19 November 2020Ann M Fitz-Gerald
The northern region of Tigray is challenging Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s reform agenda. The prospects for peace are dim.
Africa
Britain’s Defences: The Biggest Spending Boost Since the Cold War
Commentary, 19 November 2020Peter Roberts
The UK military is to receive an extra £4 billion a year over the next four years, the government has announced.
Military Sciences, UK Integrated Review 2020, Defence Spending, UK
Turkey Forges a New Geo-Strategic Axis from Azerbaijan to Ukraine
Commentary, 18 November 2020Taras Kuzio
A new informal alliance is emerging in Southeastern Europe, and it is being led by Turkey.
Turkey
Revising EU Export Controls: A Path to Greater Coherence?
Commentary, 17 November 2020Maria Shagina
The EU is close to agreement on expanding the list of dual-use cyber-surveillance technology to be banned from sale to autocratic regimes. The move would strengthen the EU’s human rights advocacy and...
European Union, Technology, Europe
The Silent Rise of Greece as a Mediterranean Power
Commentary, 16 November 2020Emmanuel Karagiannis
Greece is emerging as a Mediterranean power with a more proactive foreign policy.
Europe
The Impact of a Biden Presidency on the Middle East and North Africa
Commentary, 13 November 2020Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, Antonio Giustozzi, Michael Stephens, H A Hellyer and Tobias Borck
Our analysts and associate fellows look at what awaits the Biden presidency in the region.
International Security Studies, Iran's Nuclear Programme, United States, Unpacking the MENA, Middle East and North AfricaPages
Forceful Persuasion: The Psychology of Convincing an Opponent They Are Beaten
Multimedia, 25 November 2020Tags: Military Sciences, Modern Deterrence
Western Way of War: HYPErsonics?
Multimedia, 19 November 2020Great powers are pressing ahead with hypersonic weapons, yet in adoption and adaptation there seems to be a missing foundational understanding of what the arrival of Mach 10 precision munitions means...
Tags: Military Sciences
ASEAN’s Outlook: Maintaining Centrality in the Indo-Pacific
Multimedia, 18 November 2020This week, Veerle is joined by Dr. Evan Laksmana, senior researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Dr. Huong Le Thu, senior analyst at the...
Tags: Bridging the Oceans Podcast Series, China, International Security Studies, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, Japan, India, Maritime Forces, Pacific, Central and South Asia
Episode four: Corruption and Finance in the UK
Multimedia, 12 November 2020The UK regularly finds itself at the centre of money laundering and corruption scandals. But how dire is the situation, really, and is there any hope for change? Author Oliver Bullough does a reality...
Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies
Western Way of War: When Did Everything Become Securitised?
Multimedia, 12 November 2020Alice Billon-Galland explains to Peter Roberts what a forward-looking reflective exercise is for NATO and what this issues are between the Atlantic Alliance and the EU. They get into why patchwork...
Tags: Military Sciences
Western Way of War: Utility vs Utilisation
Multimedia, 5 November 2020Given the discussion of 'sunset' capabilities and the growing feeling in Brussels that the UK has a credibility problem inside NATO, Peter talks to Mungo Melvin (military historian and former soldier...
Tags: Military Sciences
India’s Indo-Pacific Vision: Stabilising the Indian Ocean Region
Multimedia, 4 November 2020This week, Veerle is joined by Darshana Baruah, Visiting Fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in Tokyo and non-resident scholar with the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for...
Tags: Bridging the Oceans Podcast Series, China, International Security Studies, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, Japan, India, Maritime Forces, Pacific, Central and South Asia
Living with Uncertainty: The Assumptions Underpinning Chinese Nuclear Strategy
Multimedia, 30 October 2020Tags: Adversarial Studies, Military Sciences
Episode Two: What’s in Store for Sanctions?
Multimedia, 30 October 2020No matter who wins, the US sanctions strategy is sure to be impacted by the upcoming election. How will the results affect Washington’s current favoured foreign policy tool? Emil Dall speaks with...
Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies
Episode Three: Dark Money and Democracy
Multimedia, 30 October 2020Has foreign ‘dark money’ undermined democracy as we know it? And can a solution lie in a smarter understanding of financial flows? Tom Keatinge is joined by analyst Edward Lucas, Gemma Rogers of...
Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security StudiesPages
Overhyped Hypersonics? Examining the US Navy’s Prompt Strike Ambitions
RUSI Defence Systems, 25 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
Tags: Maritime Forces
Pakistan: What a New Kashmir Policy Might Look Like
RUSI Newsbrief, 20 November 2020Tim Willasey-Wilsey
Pakistan pays a heavy price for its claim to Kashmir: higher military spending, domestic instability, and exclusion from Indian markets and the transit trade with Central Asia. A more coherent Kashmir policy could be constructed at much reduced cost based on achievable objectives, a sober view of the national interest and the long-term needs of the Kashmiri people.
Tags: Pakistan, India
Investigating the Information Commissioner’s Office: Is It Fit for Purpose?
RUSI Newsbrief, 13 November 2020Anjuli Shere and Miranda Melcher
The power and independence of the Information Commissioner’s Office appear to have been overstated. Downing Street has built-in oversight of funds and coronavirus data is not being protected.
Tags: Coronavirus, UK, Information
Assessing the Options for Modernising the UK’s Heavy Armour
RUSI Newsbrief, 6 November 2020Jack Watling and Nick Reynolds
The UK has two options for modernising its armour: developing a Challenger 3 or procuring Leopard 2. The latter is an assured capability that will likely prove cheaper over the life of the programme. The former is risky but offers the UK an opportunity to develop valuable intellectual property.
Tags: Equipment and Acquisitions, UK
From the Deep State to the Main Stage: The IRGC and Iran’s 2021 Presidential Elections
RUSI Newsbrief, 30 October 2020Kasra Aarabi
Hossein Dehghan, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps heavyweight with strong ties to Hizbullah, has announced his candidacy for Iran’s 2021 elections. What would his presidency mean for Iran’s policies at home and abroad?
Tags: Iran
Avoiding the Reign of Artificial Stupidity
RUSI Defence Systems, 27 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
Tags:
The UK and Illicit Finance: Still Part of the Problem, Not Part of the Solution
RUSI Newsbrief, 23 October 2020Tom Keatinge
The UK has lost its global leadership of the fight against illicit finance. The Johnson government must get the UK back on track.
Tags: UK
The Type 055: A Glimpse into the PLAN’s Developmental Trajectory
RUSI Defence Systems, 19 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
Tags: China, Maritime Forces
Space as an Operational Domain: What Next for NATO?
RUSI Newsbrief, 15 October 2020Alexandra Stickings
NATO has declared space to be an operational domain. Questions must be addressed to understand what this means for future strategy and capabilities.
Tags: NATO
Are the Baltics Really Undefendable?
RUSI Newsbrief, 9 October 2020Sandor Fabian
This article proposes that ‘professional irregular’ forces would provide the Baltics with the best defence against Russian aggression.
Tags: NATO, Russia, Defence Policy, EuropePages
Douglas Haig Fellowship Lecture: The Tank in World War One – Did Haig Help or Hinder its Development?
Events, 29 January 2021A lecture by Lieutenant Colonel (Ret’d) Geoffrey Vesey-Holt MBE, Royal Tank Regiment (RTR), commemorating the life of Field Marshal Earl Haig of Bemersyde and the forces he commanded.
Lord Trenchard Memorial Lecture: Implementing the Integrated Review – Building the Next Generation Royal Air Force
Events, 17 December 2020This year’s Lord Trenchard Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, Chief of the Air Staff, Royal Air Force, who will discuss implementing the UK Integrated Review...
Behind the Enigma: The Authorised History of GCHQ, Britain's Secret Cyber-Intelligence Agency
Events, 14 December 2020Professor John Ferris and Gill Bennett will discuss the first-ever authorised history of the ultra-secret Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and dig deep into the past of Britain's biggest...
MI9: A History of the Secret Service for Escape and Evasion in World War Two
Events, 9 December 2020An online presentation by Dr Helen Fry, historian and author, on the history of MI9 — the World War Two organisation that engineered the escape of Allied forces from behind enemy lines.
25 Years from Bosnia: The Corps in Contemporary Security
Events, 9 December 2020An online conversation between the current and former Commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps on the role of the corps 25 years after its deployment to Bosnia.
The Geopolitics of Indo-Pacific Trade
Forceful Persuasion: The Psychology of Convincing an Opponent They Are Beaten
Is Defence’s Latest Operating Model Fit for Purpose?