RUSI JournalVOLUME 171ISSUE 6
Russia’s Defensive Depth
Ron Tira and Lieutenant General Sir Nick Borton KCB DSO MBE
3 September 202625 Minute Read
Russia has always had the advantage of strategic depth but, in this Research Article, a former Israeli fighter pilot and former British Army general consider how technology may be turning that premise on its head.
This article argues that contemporary technology enables Europe to convert Russia’s traditional advantage of strategic depth into an operational liability. It frames Russia as a conventional pacing threat that seeks a rapid fait accompli, and proposes a European defence concept centred on highly available precision firepower applied across the attacker’s depth.
WRITTEN BY
Ron Tira
Lieutenant General Sir Nick Borton KCB DSO MBE
RUSI Distinguished Fellow, Military Sciences
- Jim McLeanMedia Relations Manager+44 (0)7917 373 069JimMc@rusi.org


