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Germany Calling: The Bundeswehr, Acquisition and a Broken Narrative
13 February 2019Germany’s armed forces are beset by problems, and procurement difficulties are proving to be intractable.
Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, Germany, Defence Management, Defence Policy, Military Personnel, Europe
"“It’s an announcement about future announcements, it’s the [Ministry of Defence] keeping lots of option open, “ said Jon Louth, the director of defense, industries and society at the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London. “It’s all about seeing what can be achieved in next year’s governmentwide departmental spending review.""
Britain eyes a more lethal force in newly revealed defense modernization review
19 December 2018Tags:

"Louth said he didn't think they will tie the whole thing up in a big bow and present it. "That could change if the MoD gets a reasonable financial settlement. If that does happen then they will possibly make a grander announcement, but that’s a big if,” he said."
'Money is the elephant in the room’ hindering progress for UK defense program
19 July 2018Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, Defence Management, Defence Policy, UK

"That’s the question Jon Louth, director for defence, industries and society at the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London, asked. He noted that Britain appears to be excluded from one such effort: a nascent Franco-German plan to build a next-generation combat aircraft.
“We should be open to ongoing cooperation, but I think that’s more significant for the border and security partnership than large defense programs,” Louth said. “It’s hard to point to one or two defense programs that we would all hang our hats on in the traditional domains.”"
At arm’s length: Inside the push to keep EU-UK defense ties alive
12 June 2018Tags: Defence, Industries and Society

The Home Front: The Future Accommodation Model for the UK Armed Forces: Obligations and Choices for Service Personnel and Families
31 May 2018The accommodation options offerred to defence personnel and their families are central to Britain's defence policy.
Tags: Armed Forces, Civil–Military Relations, Defence, Industries and Society, Occasional Papers, Defence Management, Defence Policy, UK, Military Personnel, UK Defence, Europe
A Defence Industrial Strategy for the UK
6 April 2018This paper seeks to build on the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) ‘Refreshing Defence Industrial Policy’ of December 2017 by generating eight...
Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, Defence Spending, Occasional Papers, Equipment and Acquisitions, Defence Management, UKPages

Germany Calling: The Bundeswehr, Acquisition and a Broken Narrative
13 February 2019Germany’s armed forces are beset by problems, and procurement difficulties are proving to be intractable.
Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, Germany, Defence Management, Defence Policy, Military Personnel, Europe
The UK Modernising Defence Programme: ‘Get with the Programme’
16 February 2018Officials in the Ministry of Defence charged with delivery of the UK Modernising Defence Programme would do well to heed the title and take...
Tags: Defence Spending, Equipment and Acquisitions, Defence Management![Upgraded military families' accommodation at Bulford Camp, on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire (library image) [Crown copyright] Upgraded military families' accommodation at Bulford Camp, on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire (library image) [Crown copyright]](https://www.rusi.org/sites/default/files/styles/tab_images/public/bulford220.jpg?itok=cRvCw_Xn)
Carillion’s Collapse: The Impact on UK Defence
22 January 2018UK services and construction giant Carillion went into compulsory liquidation last week. But what does this mean for defence?
Tags: Armed Forces, Defence Spending, UK, Military Personnel, Europe
General Election 2017: A Strategic Moment for Defence?
2 June 2017The next UK government – of whatever political stripe – will face two crucial questions when it comes to defence and security – what do you...
Tags: Defence Spending, Equipment and Acquisitions, UK Defence
The Westminster Attack: A Considered Response
31 March 2017It is a week since Khalid Masood ploughed his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing three people, before fatally stabbing PC...
Tags: UK, Domestic Security, Terrorism, Europe
Are We Dancing? US Ambition for German Defence Spending
22 March 2017Berlin has promised that it will meet its 2% NATO spending commitment – but it is going to take some time.
Tags: United States, NATO, Americas, Germany, International Institutions, EuropePages

The Home Front: The Future Accommodation Model for the UK Armed Forces: Obligations and Choices for Service Personnel and Families
31 May 2018John Louth, Trevor Taylor, Lauren Twort and Gabriela Thompson
The accommodation options offerred to defence personnel and their families are central to Britain's defence policy.
Tags: Armed Forces, Civil–Military Relations, Defence, Industries and Society, Occasional Papers, Defence Management, Defence Policy, UK, Military Personnel, UK Defence, Europe
A Defence Industrial Strategy for the UK
6 April 2018John Louth and Trevor Taylor
This paper seeks to build on the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) ‘Refreshing Defence Industrial Policy’ of December 2017 by generating eight...
Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, Defence Spending, Occasional Papers, Equipment and Acquisitions, Defence Management, UK
A Commentary on Lieutenant C F Jepson’s ‘Lessons of the War. A French-Admiral’s Views’
6 April 2018John Louth
Tags: RUSI Journal, The Great War, France

Introduction
10 November 2017John Louth
John Louth introduces Lauren Twort and Gabriela Thompson's article exploring the relationship between defence industries and community in...
Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, RUSI Journal, Defence Spending, Equipment and Acquisitions, Defence Policy, UK, UK Defence, Europe
Defence Innovation and the UK: Responding to the Risks Identified by the US Third Offset Strategy
11 July 2017John Louth, Trevor Taylor and Andrew Tyler
This paper examines the implications of the US Third Offset Strategy for the UK. It finds that UK defence equipment capabilities costing £...
Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, United States, Occasional Papers, Equipment and Acquisitions, Defence Management, UK, Technology
The Art of the Covenant: The Armed Forces Covenant and the Role of the Commercial Sector
26 October 2016John Louth, Trevor Taylor and Lauren Twort
An Armed Forces Covenant programme office should be established to enable businesses to better support the armed forces and their families...
Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, Occasional Papers, UK, Military Personnel, UK Defence, EuropePages

Looking Ahead to the Trump Presidency
19 January 2017In this special podcast, experts from the Royal United Services Institute discuss the forthcoming presidency of Donald J Trump as he...
Tags: United States, US Defence Policy, Global Security Issues
The Defence Industry and Europe in 2017
21 December 2016RUSI Director of Defence, Industries and Society, Dr John Louth looks at how changing US attitudes to defence and security following the...
Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, United States, Defence Management, Defence Policy, UK, Europe
The Impact of the UK Election on Defence Procurement
17 December 2014Tags: UK Defence
The BAE Systems-EADS Merger: Why Did It Fail?
12 October 2012Dr John Louth, Deputy Director of the Defence, Industries and Societies Programme assesses the failure of the merger between two of Europe'...
Tags: Defence Management, Defence PolicyDefence Budgets and Cooperation in Europe: Developments, Trends and Drivers
1 February 2016RUSI contributed to a joint study by European think tanks exploring the state of defence budgets in the UK. Professor John Louth, Director...
Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, Defence Spending, Defence Management, Defence Policy, EuropeUK’s Whole Force Defence Concept Not Fit For Purpose Argues RUSI Report
26 November 2014The UK’s Whole Force Concept — which aims to reconfigure reserves and private-sector defence personnel more closely alongside military...
Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, UK Defence Policy, Defence Management, UK, UK Defence, Europe
"“It’s an announcement about future announcements, it’s the [Ministry of Defence] keeping lots of option open, “ said Jon Louth, the director of defense, industries and society at the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London. “It’s all about seeing what can be achieved in next year’s governmentwide departmental spending review.""
Britain eyes a more lethal force in newly revealed defense modernization review
19 December 2018 Tags:
"Louth said he didn't think they will tie the whole thing up in a big bow and present it. "That could change if the MoD gets a reasonable financial settlement. If that does happen then they will possibly make a grander announcement, but that’s a big if,” he said."
'Money is the elephant in the room’ hindering progress for UK defense program
19 July 2018 Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, Defence Management, Defence Policy, UK
"That’s the question Jon Louth, director for defence, industries and society at the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London, asked. He noted that Britain appears to be excluded from one such effort: a nascent Franco-German plan to build a next-generation combat aircraft.
“We should be open to ongoing cooperation, but I think that’s more significant for the border and security partnership than large defense programs,” Louth said. “It’s hard to point to one or two defense programs that we would all hang our hats on in the traditional domains.”"
At arm’s length: Inside the push to keep EU-UK defense ties alive
12 June 2018 Tags: Defence, Industries and Society
"The new Queen Elizabeth carrier class with their exquisite next generation of stealth aircraft will consume a significant part of both the equipment plan and the operational costs of the armed forces. When we consider threats from cyberspace and the militarisation of space itself, the defence budget will have to be flexible and pliable over the years ahead to meet a range of risks and unknowns—where we are today appears to be a poor launch pad for such an endeavour."
The “to-do” list for an unlikely defence secretary
7 November 2017 Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, Defence Management, Defence Policy, UK
"“Fielding these fantastic assets is something we want to do but we also have to give a mind about how we’re going to protect them,” he told The Independent. “The balance between offensive and defensive assets needs to be very carefully considered.”"
HMS Queen Elizabeth: UK's new £3bn aircraft carrier dismissed as 'massive distraction’
16 August 2017 Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, Defence Management, Defence Policy, UK, Maritime Forces, UK Defence
"“If Trump gets his way, it will mean a 10pc uplift on what is already the largest defence spend on the planet,” says Dr John Louth, the director for defence, industries and society at the Royal United Services Institute think-tank. “That is hugely substantial. If we see that spent predominantly with US businesses like Lockheed Martin and Boeing, even for us in Europe it will not be a bad thing. The supply chains are so interwoven that it will very much impact on UK and European businesses as component providers to those larger businesses. All that money isn’t just going to be consumed within the US.”"
Defence giants are the winners in Trump's new 'arms race'
22 April 2017 Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, United States, US Defence Policy, Defence Management
Breaking Slavery's Financial Chains
Yemen: Engaging, Not Isolating
Episode Ten: Counter Terrorism Financing: Does the Current Global Approach Work?