Professor Malcolm Chalmers

Position: Professorial Fellow

Malcolm Chalmers is Professorial Fellow in British Security Policy at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI), and has been in this position since January 2008. He is a member of the Defence Secretary's Defence Advisory Forum. He was previously Special Adviser to Foreign Secretaries Jack Straw MP and Margaret Beckett MP. He contributes to RUSI’s capacity for research across a range of defence and foreign policy issues. His current research focuses on contemporary UK defence policy, nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, and defence economics.

Malcolm is also Professor of Defence and Foreign Policy in the Department of War Studies, Kings College, London (where he currently teaches), and Professor of International Politics in the Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford. Malcolm has a BA in Economics from the University of Cambridge, an MA in Development Economics (with Distinction) from the University of East Anglia, and a PhD in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford. He has been an economist in the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Government of Botswana (1977-80), Visiting Fellow at the Center for International Security and Arms Control, Stanford University (1989-90), and Senior Consulting Fellow, International Institute for Strategic Studies (2001-2004). During 2005-2008, he was a member of the Higher Education Funding Council’s Sub-Panel for Politics and International Studies. He has been Chair of Saferworld and remains a member of its Board of Trustees.

For an extended list of publications by Professor Chalmers, click here >

RUSI articles and analysis by this author

NATO and Nuclear Weapons 24 Aug 2010
Is a new consensus possible over NATO's nuclear weapons policy?

Can we afford to renew Trident? 30 Jul 2010
The Chancellor, George Osborne, has announced that funding for the renewal of Britain's nuclear deterrent must come from the Ministry of Defence's core budget. RUSI's Malcolm Chalmers assesses the ramifications of this announcement.

Like for like renewal of Trident will come at expense of conventional forces 28 Jul 2010
The UK's current commitment to maintain a nuclear-armed missile submarine on deterrent patrol at all times (Continuous At-Sea Deterrence, or 'CASD'), is driven as much by institutional and political momentum as by strategic necessity, and plans to order a new generation of submarines after 2015 now threatens to be at the expense of further reduction in conventional forces according to a new report from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

Prognosis for defence spending after Budget 2010 24 Jun 2010
The first budget of the Coalition government could lead to the core defence budget being cut in real terms by up to 15%, with numbers of military personnel being reduced by around 30,000.

A Question of Balance? The Deficit and Defence Priorities 3 Jun 2010
The deeper the immediate budget cuts that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has to make, the greater the risk of reduced capability without commensurate financial gains, argues the latest Future Defence Review Working Paper from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

Nuclear Narratives: Reflections on Declaratory Policies 27 May 2010
As Foreign Secretary William Hague announces an overhaul of UK nuclear declaratory policy, a new report by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) shows that it must fundamentally reconcile declarations of nuclear deterrence and nuclear disarmament.

Numbers and Words: Prospects for Nuclear Arms Control 30 Apr 2010
While there have been crucial advances on the arms control agenda, crucial questions remain for the major nuclear powers

Walking, not running: New START and the Nuclear Posture Review 16 Apr 2010
The achievements of the NPR and the signing of New START are the first steps towards President Obama’s stated goal of a nuclear free world. However limited their successes may be, their announcements signify real progress in nuclear disarmament.

Not with a bang but a whimper: Europe’s pending denuclearisation 12 Mar 2010
Within the next decade, European aircraft capable of delivering US nuclear weapons are due to be withdrawn from service. What are the options available to NATO in the debate over the continuance of its tactical nuclear capability?

NATO's Tactical Nuclear Dilemma 11 Mar 2010
Renewed debate over the stationing of US nuclear weapons in Europe comes at a crucial time for NATO. This paper charts the key political and technical issues in the debate

RUSI Future Defence Review paper: UK’s Armed Forces face personnel cuts of 20% over the next six years 12 Jan 2010
The growing costs of UK defence capabilities, combined with cuts in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) budget as a result of the nation's fiscal crisis, will make it impossible to preserve current numbers of service personnel and front-line capabilities.

Double or Quits in Afghanistan? 27 Jul 2009
A new policy of ‘Double or Quits’ has recently emerged for Afghanistan. Following a surge in troop levels both the US and UK political leadership hope for a rapid improvement in the security situation, but without this calls for a reassessment of priorities will grow louder. There is, however, the opportunity for a ‘third way’, modelled on the British experience in Basra after 2006, where a reduced footprint provided the opportunity for the success of local Iraqi forces.

MoD faces 10-15 per cent budget cut 2 Jul 2009
A new RUSI report declares the MoD faces a budget cut of around 10-15 per cent in real terms between 2010 and 2016

Engaging Iran 22 Jan 2008
The British left must face-up to the truth: Iran could still develop a nuclear bomb in the next few years. This can only be avoided, says Malcolm Chalmers, by engagement and diplomacy.

The strategic defence review--British policy options 4 Aug 1997