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The Military Sciences group includes experts in the traditional Air, Land and Maritime domains as well as Cyber, Influence Operations and Space. Our aim is to contribute to the nuance of UK public, media and policy discussions on defence by combining research with practical experience and contextual awareness. As part of this work, Military Sciences staff engage with military, defence industrial and governmental stakeholders from the operational to the senior leadership level in the UK and overseas.
The cornerstone of the Military Sciences group’s work is the Martial Power Programme which forms a conceptual framework aimed at providing UK decision makers with a deeper evidence base to feed into defence policy.
Focus
The Military Sciences research group aims to:
- Conduct world class research and analysis on defence issues.
- Provide evidence and advice to assist UK policy makers in defence and security matters.
- Provide a forum for open and frank discussion of UK and international defence matters between the military, defence industry, academia and other stakeholders, where rank is not an issue.
- Promote public understanding of defence issues through engagement with the media.
Contacts

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People
Michael Codner
Senior Research Fellow and Director of Personnel Services
Michael Codner
Senior Research Fellow and Director of Personnel Services
Oliver Major
Chief of the General Staff's Visiting Fellow
Oliver Major
Chief of the General Staff's Visiting Fellow
Professor Peter Roberts
Director Military Sciences, RUSI
Professor Peter Roberts
Director Military Sciences, RUSI
Alexandra Stickings
Research Fellow, Space Policy and Security
Alexandra Stickings
Research Fellow, Space Policy and Security
Latest

We Need to Relearn How to do Deterrence
Commentary, 5 December 2019
Jack Watling
Governments and military planners are obsessed with how much leverage adversaries can exert with coercive measures that don’t risk all-out war. But to win in the ‘grey zone’ requires being proactive, and defining its limits.
Tags: Military Sciences, UK, Global Security Issues
The Future of Fires: Maximising the UK’s Tactical and Operational Firepower
Occasional Papers, 27 November 2019
Jack Watling
This paper outlines critical trends in the development of next-generation fires systems and the implications of this future battlefield for the UK’s ground forces.
Tags: Armed Forces, Equipment and Acquisitions, Military Sciences, UK, Land Forces, UK Defence
Huawei and Siemens
In The News, 26 November 2019
Tags: China, Modern Deterrence, Military Sciences, UK, Europe, Pacific

Requirements for the UK’s Amphibious Forces in the Future Operating Environment
Occasional Papers, 20 November 2019
Sidharth Kaushal and Jack Watling
This paper outlines the role that littoral areas will have in the Future Operating Environment and the strategic requirements that will drive the development of the littoral strike concept and the Future Commando Force.
Tags: Armed Forces, Equipment and Acquisitions, Global Strategy and Commitments, Military Sciences, Defence Policy, UK, Land Forces, Maritime Forces, UK Defence, Europe
"“This is certainly a bad look for Airbus after a long line of technical faults and delays,” said Justin Bronk, a research fellow at the U.K.’s Royal United Services Institute. “It remains to be seen whether this particular fault is replicated in other users’ fleets, but serviceability remains a concern for many.”
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Airbus’s A400M Was Meant to Be the Pride of Europe’s Military. But After Years of Problems It Still Has a Screw Loose
In The News, 14 November 2019 Tags: Aerospace, Air Power and Technology, Military Sciences, UK
NATO vs Russia at 70
Commentary, 6 November 2019
Peter Roberts
The competition between NATO and Russia is not going the Alliance’s way. Russia has encircled Europe and divided the Alliance. How odd then that NATO is in such a self-congratulatory mood on its 70th anniversary.
Tags: NATO, North America, Russia, Military Sciences, Global Security Issues, EuropePages

We Need to Relearn How to do Deterrence
Commentary, 5 December 2019Jack Watling
Governments and military planners are obsessed with how much leverage adversaries can exert with coercive measures that don’t risk all-out war. But to win in the ‘grey zone’ requires being proactive, and defining its limits.
Military Sciences, UK, Global Security Issues
NATO vs Russia at 70
Commentary, 6 November 2019Peter Roberts
The competition between NATO and Russia is not going the Alliance’s way. Russia has encircled Europe and divided the Alliance. How odd then that NATO is in such a self-congratulatory mood on its 70th anniversary.
NATO, North America, Russia, Military Sciences, Global Security Issues, Europe
Sea Training: An Oft Overlooked Strategic Asset
Commentary, 11 October 2019Peter Roberts and Sidharth Kaushal
Rumours abound that the Royal Navy is to gut its globally respected Operational Sea Training organisation in order to reallocate cash across defence. It is not simply the UK’s martial reputation that would be at stake; the evidence states that operational sea training is a crucial asset on which the Royal Navy should not skimp.
UK Defence Policy, Military Sciences, Defence Management, UK, Maritime Forces, Military Personnel, National Security
No Prime Minister: The Deteriorating Security Environment in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Commentary, 18 September 2019Nick Reynolds
The political and security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina has not substantially changed in the last couple of years, but this should not be mistaken for stability. The domestic situation is likely to get worse.
Military Sciences, Europe
Turkey, the US and the S-400: A Counter-Narrative
Commentary, 15 August 2019Peter Roberts and Seth Newkirk
Regardless of how difficult Erdogan’s Turkey may now be, it is a key state in NATO and must be treated as such.
Turkey, United States, US Defence Policy, NATO, Americas, Military Sciences, Defence Policy, International Institutions, EuropePages

The Future of Fires: Maximising the UK’s Tactical and Operational Firepower
Occasional Papers, 27 November 2019Jack Watling
This paper outlines critical trends in the development of next-generation fires systems and the implications of this future battlefield for the UK’s ground forces.
Armed Forces, Occasional Papers, Equipment and Acquisitions, Military Sciences, UK, Land Forces, UK Defence
Requirements for the UK’s Amphibious Forces in the Future Operating Environment
Occasional Papers, 20 November 2019Sidharth Kaushal and Jack Watling
This paper outlines the role that littoral areas will have in the Future Operating Environment and the strategic requirements that will drive the development of the littoral strike concept and the...
Armed Forces, Occasional Papers, Equipment and Acquisitions, Global Strategy and Commitments, Military Sciences, Defence Policy, UK, Land Forces, Maritime Forces, UK Defence, Europe
Competitive National Service: How the Scandinavian Model Can Be Adapted by the UK
Occasional Papers, 23 October 2019Elisabeth Braw
This Occasional Paper examines the Scandinavian model of national service and discusses how it can be adapted by the UK to fit its national security needs and acquaint a wider segment of youth with...
Civil–Military Relations, Modern Deterrence, Occasional Papers, Military Sciences, Defence Management, Defence Policy, UK, Military Personnel, UK Defence
Crossing the River by Feeling the Stones: The Trajectory of China's Maritime Transformation
Occasional Papers, 14 October 2019Sidharth Kaushal and Magdalena Markiewicz
This Occasional Paper examines China's maritime strategy by placing its contemporary evolution in context.
Armed Forces, China, Occasional Papers, Equipment and Acquisitions, Military Sciences, Asia, Maritime Forces, Military Personnel, Technology, Pacific
European Allies in US Multi-Domain Operations
Occasional Papers, 23 September 2019Jack Watling and Daniel Roper
This Occasional Paper outlines strategies for integrating European allies with the US Army's Multi-Domain Operations operating concept.
United States, US Defence Policy, NATO, Occasional Papers, Military Sciences, Defence Management, Defence Policy, Global Security Issues, International Institutions, Land Forces, Maritime Forces, Military Personnel, EuropePages

Tech innovation: the potential for startup-government collaboration
Events, 10 December 2019General Sir Gordon Messenger and Surevine founder and CEO Stuart Murdoch in conversation with Clifford Chance counsel Josh Fitzhugh.
Modern Deterrence, Military Sciences
International Day of the Peacekeepers 17th Annual Conference: The Thin Blue Line
Conference, 23 May 2019This annual conference, jointly organised by the United Nations Association – UK, UNA-Westminster and RUSI, is the UK’s most authoritative public review of UN peacekeeping activities.
Military Sciences
Combat Air Survivability Conference
Conference, 20 March 2019This conference will seek to re-examine what the optimal survivability mix might look like in the late 2020s, 2030s, in light of current trends of both combat air systems design and emerging...
Air Power Conference 2016: Inspiration and Innovation, Military Sciences
RUSI Modern Deterrence Conference 2018: Securing Societies
Conference, 6 November 2018The conference, the first of its kind, featured senior executives and government officials in charge of total defence and civil protection. It aimed to identify practical steps that can be taken to...
Modern Deterrence, Military Sciences, Defence Policy
General Stephen Townsend to Deliver the Annual Kermit Roosevelt Lecture 2018
Events, 15 June 2018General Stephen J. Townsend, commander of the US Army Training and Doctrinal Command will deliver the 72nd Annual Kermit Roosevelt Lecture.
United States, Military Sciences, UKPages

What is the Agenda for the New Defence Secretary?
Multimedia, 2 May 2019Dr Jack Watling, Research Fellow at RUSI, discusses what the new agenda might be for the new Defence Secretary, Penny Mordaunt.
Tags: Military Sciences, UK, UK Defence
The Royal Air Force at 100
Multimedia, 29 March 2018Justin Bronk, RUSI's Research Fellow for Airpower and Technology reflects on the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force, established on 1 April 1918.
Tags: Aerospace, Military Sciences
British Army Recruitment
Multimedia, 11 January 2018
US Air Strikes Against Syrian Air Base
Multimedia, 7 April 2017Justin Bronk, Research Fellow at RUSI assesses the US airstrike against a Syrian airbase following the Syrian government's chemical attack in the Idlib province.
Tags: Aerospace, Military Sciences, Syria
Westminster Attack: Encryption and Intelligence Gathering
Multimedia, 28 March 2017Ewan Lawson, Senior Research Fellow examines the debate around WhatsApp encryption and whether the app should be more freely available to law enforcement.
Tags: UK Counter-terrorism, Military Sciences, UK, Terrorism
Episode 07: Missing links
We Need to Relearn How to do Deterrence
The British Public Still Believes in NATO – Even if Most Cannot Say What It Does