Drawing on a range of world-class experts, the essence of RUSI's research capability is the quality and recognised excellence of its analysts, and its ability to create multi-disciplinary research teams.

RUSI's research programmes, projects and initiatives currently focus on four topical issues in global defence and security: the future of British defence policy, strategic choices in Afghanistan and Pakistan, options for nuclear disarmament in the Obama era, and the ongoing debate on NATO and the US-European alliance.