http://www.rusi.org/ web@rusi.org en-us Copyright 2013 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C51486AACC3EE5/ A new EUROPOL assessment highlights the scale of the threat coming from organised crime in Europe. Half of the major investigations pursued by EUROPOL have links to Britain. Fighting organised crime can no longer be the poor relation to tackling the threat from international terrorism. 2013-03-19 13:44:14 http://www.rusi.org/publications/defencesystems/ref:A5107F3729CC52/ David Hayes is a Mechanical Engineer in the defence industry, and has previously worked on secondment at the Royal United Services Institute as a research analyst. In this article he provides an overview of current and future development trends in weapons technology that could be integrated onto unmanned aerial vehicles, and looks at the implications this has had and will have on military operations 2013-01-29 16:07:23 http://www.rusi.org/publications/defencesystems/ref:A5107E5D56F621/ The Global Hawk-based unmanned system is to provide persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) to the NATO Alliance. Simon Michell reports 2013-01-29 15:08:44 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:A4F8C340AF14E2/ The UK Border Agency has much to prove, as the biggest international public event to be hosted by London in many years approaches 2012-04-16 16:00:37 http://www.rusi.org/news/ref:N4EE211BE2DB21/ 2011-12-09 13:49:19 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:A4ECD1B9E70E23/ Our fascination with betrayal is evidenced in the plethora of books, television programmes and films on espionage and yet the secrecy at its core runs in contrast to a contemporary obsession with accountability and the public’s supposed ‘right to know’. 2011-11-23 16:13:25 http://www.rusi.org/publications/defencesystems/ref:A4E45247A1E7C3/ Alex Drake, RUSI research analyst, highlights the potential of Low-Earth Orbit and stratospheric UAVS for a range of sovereign UK military applications. 2011-08-12 14:03:15 http://www.rusi.org/publications/defencesystems/ref:A4E452206A06D8/ As the British Army’s existing CVR(T)s reach the end of their useful life, Steve Rowbotham assesses the utility of the British Army’s next reconnaissance vehicle. 2011-08-12 13:52:48 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:A4E367FAFBCA11/ Is intelligence-driven counter-terrorism the answer to a reduced US military footprint? 2011-08-01 11:28:03 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4DC3A83C85EDE/ The audacious operation that killed Osama Bin Laden was completed relatively shortly. It reaped the benefits of a careful intelligence operation that lasted months, if not years. 2011-05-06 08:51:42 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4D4144CBED9DD/ UK Counter-Terrorism laws have been reviewed by the government and found wanting. But do planned changes herald a new, fairer era in tackling terrorism, or are they a weaker version of existing powers? 2011-01-27 10:17:00 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4CE3EC0FAE8D0/ The Rt Hon Lord Justice Gross outlines a variety of areas where national security impacts on the courts. He said that both the security agencies and the courts must come to a mutual understanding which helps them to perform their vital roles whilst preserving intelligence secrecy operating within a legal framework. 2010-11-17 15:29:08 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4CBC6D8637AB7/ Now in its third year, the National Security Strategy is even more important as it is a precursor to tomorrow's Strategic Defence and Security Review. The Strategy is an honest attempt to think afresh about British security, with a focus on terrorism and cyber-security. However, it ignores the difficult real-world decisions that must be made to create an effective strategic review. 2010-10-18 16:59:13 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:A4CBC1602311B1/ Western intelligence agencies will face new threats in the years to come, requiring new resources for counter-espionage 2010-10-18 10:40:20 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:A4C6E508825EFD/ The now-infamous deluge of raw intelligence via the WikiLeaks website has exposed Western governments' inability to come to terms with the digital information age 2010-08-22 23:45:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:A4C6E518AF160B/ To get StratComs right in Afghanistan, we must engage in two-way dialogue not one-way messaging 2010-08-22 23:45:00 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4C4DE4346B2D8/ How significant is the release of the Afghan war documents on WikiLeaks? RUSI Director Michael Clarke gives his assessment 2010-07-26 20:40:54 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4C29DE338F947/ The unravelling of a Russian spy network in the United States could well destabilise the rapprochement between the two countries which began after the election of President Obama. 2010-06-29 12:55:08 http://www.rusi.org/publications/defencesystems/ref:A4C2227F85670A/ Steve Wadey reports on the progress made through Team Complex Weapons since 2005 2010-06-23 16:29:53 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:A4B86665E260C4/ Effective intelligence is crucial in the post-9/11 era. Yet the faults inherent in human agency mean dramatic ‘intelligence blunders’ will remain with us 2010-02-25 12:00:41 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4B7A7E6F3328C/ The Binyam Mohamed case has turned a spotlight on the workings of intelligence agencies and highlighted problems with their oversight by the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC). 2010-02-16 11:20:02 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4AE8359535743/ Can government legitimately mingle its social interventions with intelligence gathering, as the UK's Prevent counter-terrorism strategy stands accused of doing? 2009-10-28 12:23:31 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4ADEF3390A96C/ Prevent needs reform but accusations that it is little more than an intelligence gathering programme are simplistic and inaccurate. 2009-10-21 12:43:41 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4A66E108F204F/ The threat level to the UK from international terrorism has been reduced from ‘severe’ to ‘substantial’: the lowest it has been for more than four years. The move suggests there is cautious confidence within the security agencies. 2009-07-22 10:57:17 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:A4A574164D0628/ Last month, Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) published its ‘Proposal on Defence Program Outline’ for the next decade, which, apart from closer military co-operation with the US, includes the creation of an ‘intelligence community’. 2009-07-10 14:26:05 http://www.rusi.org/news/ref:N4A3285C29C265/ UK jihadi terrorist cells are chiefly self-help groups consisting of untrained, or semi-trained, dangerous amateurs leading some police professionals to predict that this will seem like a golden age of counter-terrorism – when we were both successful and lucky; according to new research paper by the Royal United Services Institute. 2009-06-13 00:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4A14108283741/ The cross-party Intelligence and Security Committee Review is critical of MI5 record keeping after it reveals that the 7 July bombing ringleader had featured in surveillance more often than was previously thought, though he was never identified as a priority. Though the committee attributes this shortcoming to an overstretched Security Service, it will not do much to subdue calls for a wide-ranging enquiry. 2009-05-20 15:19:03 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C49FAC19FEDEFF/ The acquittal on 28 April 2009 of three men accused of helping plot the attacks leaves a large number of questions unanswered. The much anticipated Intelligence and Security Committee report may help provide a clearer picture and improve future response. 2009-05-01 10:41:09 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C49E6EE69EAE45/ Assistant Commissioner John Yates has been parachuted into the job of the UK’s most senior counter-terrorism officer. He was appointed amidst a crisis created by his predecessor. The affair underlines the tough brief that the new incumbent must master, whilst negotiating a treacherous political terrain. 2009-04-16 09:40:24 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C49B4F2FD1EB40/ The Director of RUSI Professor Michael Clarke has been appointed to the new National Security Forum, alongside a distinguished independent panel of world experts in security. This group is tasked to study specific security questions posed by Government. The committee held its first meeting on 9 March at 10 Downing Street. 2009-03-09 10:47:21 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C49AE5994D2339/ 2009-03-04 10:45:53 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:A49AE5AA500071/ Afghanistan looks set to provide another difficult year for coalition troops. Worse still, it is becoming increasingly clear that Pakistan is not up to the job of extending its writ throughout all of its declared territory. 2009-03-04 10:40:39 http://www.rusi.org/news/ref:N49A6DBCF2F267/ Key areas of co-operation identified for international, regional and national practitioners and policymakers. 2009-02-26 18:17:11 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4974675D6548C/ Barack Obama’s appointment of an intelligence outsider as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency signals a break with Bush-era intelligence policy. If the Obama administration allows intelligence to rank low on their list of priorities, however, they risk neglecting the acute threat that terrorism and traditional espionage pose to the US today. 2009-01-19 11:46:34 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4967534B32087/ In the first public interview ever given by a serving Director General of MI5, Jonathan Evans claims that the high number of prosecutions of suspected terrorists has ‘chilled’ the enthusiasm of terror networks. Although the UK is making headway against the terrorist networks within its own borders, the long-term fight against terrorism will be won by upholding liberal democratic values rather than adopting the Guantanamo approach. 2009-01-09 13:41:04 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C49381BA04AF43/ India’s internal security reforms have not matched the pace of the liberalisation of its economy. Counter-terrorism forces lack a unified command, adequate training or resources to meet domestic and cross-border threats. In order to develop a coherent counter-terror doctrine, security reforms must enhance co-ordination between security agencies and government whilst transcending party politics. 2008-12-04 18:07:17 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C47E2972B1A3B5/ The National Security Strategy re-emphasises the importance of the Prevent strand of the Government’s existing counter-terrorism strategy and describes the importance of the role of wider society in aiding effort across the ‘four Ps’. 2008-03-19 16:30:00 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C47E2940AB3F21/ The Government’s National Security Strategy has provided a useful articulation of the great diversity of threats facing the UK. Does this articulation, along with its intention to create a National Risk Register, signal the adoption of a genuinely risked-based approach to security? 2008-03-19 16:15:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:A47E10435F2532/ The publication of the US National Intelligence Estimate has caught the Gulf States off balance. 2008-03-19 12:18:43 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C46F90F06A59F5/ Violent interventions in the sovereign space of other states are rapidly becoming a familiar feature of contemporary global politics. 2007-09-25 14:39:32 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C46D82171D49D7/ 2007-08-31 15:13:24 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C46A880130DE53/ Barely a month into his Premiership, Gordon Brown has unveiled his new security proposals. 2007-07-26 12:06:20 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C468BA7F92D0FF/ As of Wednesday, 4 July, the current threat level in the UK remains at Critical, having been raised to this, the highest of five possible levels, on Saturday 30 June following failed car bomb attacks on Central London and Glasgow Airport. 2007-07-04 15:04:00 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C455881069666E/ Has the MI5 chief's warning on 9 November updated our appreciation of the the terror threat in the UK? 2006-11-13 14:33:40 http://www.rusi.org/news/ref:N44E1DE6301FDE/ Garry Hindle responds to news that the thwarted terror plot exposed weaknesses in aviation security by stating technology to detect traces of chemical explosives in the air was “still in its infancy”. 2006-08-11 16:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/news/ref:N44DC788353962/ Experts say a small amount of explosive material could be devastating. "It may not take a huge blast," says Suraj Lakhani, a researcher on counterterrorism at Royal United Services Institute, a think tank that advises the British government on security issues. "If the person detonating [an explosive] sat near a window or near the fuselage, it could cause a big enough hole to bring the plane down." 2006-08-11 13:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/news/ref:N44E1AF4B14701/ Chris Pope said the shutdown of Heathrow Airport and the intense security in Britain, the United States and elsewhere suggests that "someone else might be out there" capable of an airliner attack. 2006-08-11 12:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:A44C9D1925128E/ The existence of Guantanamo Bay remains unacceptable. It is time that it should close. 2006-07-28 09:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C43F081ED04B85/ 2006-02-13 00:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C42D690D7B2C67/ 2005-07-14 00:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:P422C425FB973A/ The debate about the use of intercepts is hardly just a tiny aspect of the wider legal framework of the fight against terrorism, but one of its most important elements. 2005-03-07 12:00:31 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:P4214B51ECA8AA/ As with the reports which provided the impetus for US and UK intelligence service reforms, their styles are very different. 2005-02-17 15:15:42 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:P4145972DDBB99/ In a crucial area, with direct implications for national security and for high level policy making, the intelligence communities in the United States and Britain had got it wrong. 2004-09-01 09:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:P4129D0A009ADC/ Our intelligence community costs upwards of £1.5 billion annually, and prides itself on the top level assessments of its much admired Joint Intelligence Committee (the JIC), yet something went wrong. 2004-08-23 12:10:23 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C40AB913E66BA2/ 2004-07-01 00:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:J40c1f7dd41d3b/ The threat from international terrorism is with us for a long time. This article illustrates that countering terrorism is an important issue, and not one limited to the intelligence agencies and the police. 2004-06-18 12:23:46 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:J40c1f7bd99b7b/ Since the end of the Cold War it has become much easier to tackle security issues by positive action. Western actors can go out to stop fights or even start them with no risk of escalation into world war, and relatively little exposure to classic tit-for-tat retaliation. 2004-06-18 12:23:45 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:J40c1f7ac7a129/ Britain had one major advantage in the Battle of Britain: the world’s first long-range early-warning radar chain. 2004-06-18 12:23:44 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:J40c1f7a87518b/ Westminster Medal for Military Literature - Winners Address and Response 2004-06-18 12:23:44 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:J40c1f7a93a80b/ In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the United States in September 2001, the British Govern 2004-06-18 12:23:44 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:J40c1f7886672b/ 2004-06-18 12:23:42 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:J40c1f77509acb/ 2004-06-18 12:23:41 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:J40c1f7587c6bb/ 2004-06-18 12:23:40 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:J40c1f757b703b/ 2004-06-18 12:23:40 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:P40CF6F643CF1C/ The Cretan campaign shows how one side’s superior intelligence cannot compensate for inferior air power, infirmity of purpose and rigidity of mind; Arnhem illustrates the folly not so much of making inadequate use of available intelligence but of wilfully 2004-06-15 22:51:32 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:P40CF69CE83BED/ The new direction for security in a post-Hutton world is likely to focus on matters which are not connected with Hutton, such as the changing role of our armed forces, the need to counter the spread of weapons of mass destruction and the need to tackle th 2004-06-15 22:27:42 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C42CD1F2506C7E/ 2004-05-12 00:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:J40c1f7fc6401b/ This article presents the case for Open Source Intelligence in a time of crisis in British intelligence. 2004-02-18 12:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:J40c1f7fc073bb/ This article assesses the politicization of intelligence and the factors that led to the UK government's insistence that Iraq posed a sufficient threat to British interests to justify war. 2004-02-18 12:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:J40c1f7d78b11b/ The 11 September 2001 terror attack in the United States was a formative event in the history of modern international terrorism and its overall significance of 9/11 is still evolving. 2003-06-01 12:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:J40d32ea83e55c/ Pakistan, India, Diplomacy, Musharraf, Intelligence, ISI 2002-01-01 09:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:J40d32ea7dd4d2/ United States, World Trade Centre, terrorism, Middle East, intelligence 2001-11-01 09:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:J40d32ea7c73b3/ United States, World Trade Centre, terrorism, Middle East, intelligence 2001-10-01 09:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:J40d32ea789324/ Russia, United States, Intelligence, NATO, missile defence 2001-07-01 09:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:J40d32ea71aa7a/ The real impact of the new Act will be on policing rather than intelligence activities, and civil rights groups should take some comfort from the fact that the burden of proof will r emain unchanged. 2001-02-01 09:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:J40d32ea729fdf/ Europe, Organised Crime, National Criminal Intelligence Service, EUROPOL, INTERPOL, European Union, legislation 2000-03-21 09:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:A445B175753AD5/ 1997-02-10 10:00:00