RUSI JOURNAL: January 2019
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Publications
RUSI publications offer rigorous, timely and policy-relevant analysis of UK and international defence and security issues
Assessing the Options for Modernising the UK’s Heavy Armour
RUSI Newsbrief, 6 November 2020Jack Watling and Nick Reynolds
The UK has two options for modernising its armour: developing a Challenger 3 or procuring Leopard 2. The latter is an assured capability that will likely prove cheaper over the life of the programme. The former is risky but offers the UK an opportunity to develop valuable intellectual property.
Tags: Equipment and Acquisitions, UK
Moving from Gender Analysis to Risk Analysis of Failing to Consider Gender
RUSI Journal, 5 November 2020Jody M Prescott
Militaries are used to thinking about how military operations have a gendered impact. They might need to start thinking about how not considering gender impacts military operations.
Tags: Military Personnel, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding
A Perfect Storm? Coronavirus, Brexit, the Integrated Review, Scottish Separatism and the Future of Trident
RUSI Journal, 5 November 2020Andrew Futter and Bleddyn E Bowen
A cocktail of major events might have serious implications for the UK's nuclear deterrent.
Tags: Trident, UK, UK Defence
Missiles, Vessels and Active Defence: What Potential Threat Do the Russian Armed Forces Represent?
RUSI Journal, 5 November 2020Maren Garberg Bredesen and Karsten Friis
Russia's strategy is increasingly focusing on its naval capabilities.
Tags: Russia, Maritime Forces
From the Deep State to the Main Stage: The IRGC and Iran’s 2021 Presidential Elections
RUSI Newsbrief, 30 October 2020Kasra Aarabi
Hossein Dehghan, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps heavyweight with strong ties to Hizbullah, has announced his candidacy for Iran’s 2021 elections. What would his presidency mean for Iran’s policies at home and abroad?
Tags: Iran
Avoiding the Reign of Artificial Stupidity
RUSI Defence Systems, 27 October 2020Jack Watling
Artificial intelligence in war may be a good servant, but it is likely to prove a terrible master, for while the character of stupidity may evolve, its nature remains immutable
Tags:
The UK and Illicit Finance: Still Part of the Problem, Not Part of the Solution
RUSI Newsbrief, 23 October 2020Tom Keatinge
The UK has lost its global leadership of the fight against illicit finance. The Johnson government must get the UK back on track.
Tags: UK
The Type 055: A Glimpse into the PLAN’s Developmental Trajectory
RUSI Defence Systems, 19 October 2020Sidharth Kaushal
The Type 055 Renhai destroyer, which displaces 12,000 tonnes, represents a significant advance in People’s Liberation Army Navy blue-water surface combatant vessel capabilities, in terms of both size and complexity
Tags: China, Maritime Forces
Space as an Operational Domain: What Next for NATO?
RUSI Newsbrief, 15 October 2020Alexandra Stickings
NATO has declared space to be an operational domain. Questions must be addressed to understand what this means for future strategy and capabilities.
Tags: NATO
Are the Baltics Really Undefendable?
RUSI Newsbrief, 9 October 2020Sandor Fabian
This article proposes that ‘professional irregular’ forces would provide the Baltics with the best defence against Russian aggression.
Tags: NATO, Russia, Defence Policy, EuropePages
Avoiding the Terrorist Trap: Why Respect for Human Rights is the Key to Defeating Terrorism
RUSI Journal, 29 March 2021Georgia Holmer
Georgia Holmer reviews Avoiding the Terrorist Trap: Why Respect for Human Rights is the Key to Defeating Terrorism, by Tom Parker.
Tags: Law and Ethics, Terrorism
Major Theatre War: Russia Attacks the Baltic States
RUSI Journal, 25 March 2021R D Hooker Jr
A hypothetical article on a future conflict takes stock of how NATO lost the Baltic states and the implications for the Alliance.
Tags: NATO
Somewhere Near to History: The Wartime Diaries of Reginald Hibbert, SOE Officer in Albania, 1943-1944
RUSI Journal, 24 March 2021Christopher Deliso
Christopher Deliso reviews Somewhere Near to History: The Wartime Diaries of Reginald Hibbert, SOE Officer in Albania, 1943-1944, edited by Jane Nicolov.
Tags: History, Intelligence
Blood, Metal and Dust: How Victory Turned into Defeat in Afghanistan and Iraq
RUSI Journal, 24 March 2021Mungo Melvin
Mungo Melvin reviews Blood, Metal and Dust: How Victory Turned into Defeat in Afghanistan and Iraq, by Ben Barry.
Tags: UK Defence
Sealing Technology Transfer Leaks: The Whack-a-Mole Analogy
RUSI Journal, 22 March 2021Rebecca Lucas and Trevor Taylor
States that rely on the global exchange of ideas, capital and people face challenges in preventing the theft of sensitive intellectual property.
Tags: Defence Management, Technology
India’s National Security Coordination and Policymaking: Assessing the Role and Influence of Institutions and Individuals
RUSI Journal, 19 March 2021Vinay Kaura
India's National Security Council has become an increasingly important body in the country's defence and security policies.
Tags: Defence Policy
Countering Intelligence Algorithms: Decision Theory, Design Choices and Counter-AI
RUSI Journal, 9 March 2021Peter J Phillips and Gabriela Pohl
Algorithms are not built in a vacuum – they are affected by profoundly human psychological constraints.
Tags: Intelligence, Technology
Russian Electronic Warfare, Cyber and Information Operations in Ukraine: Implications for NATO and Security in the Baltic States
RUSI Journal, 24 February 2021Duncan McCrory
Russia's investment in its electronic, cyber and information capabilities should concern NATO states.
Tags: Cyber, Information, Technology
Between a Pandemic and a Hard Brexit: Grand Strategic Thinking in an Age of Nationalism, Renewed Geopolitical Competition and Human Insecurity
RUSI Journal, 24 February 2021William D James
The UK's turbulent domestic situation has implications for how the country faces external threats.
Tags: Defence Policy, UK Defence
Book Review: Institution Building in Weak States: The Primacy of Local Politics
RUSI Journal, 8 February 2021Andrew Rathmell
Andrew Rathmell reviews Institution Building in Weak States: The Primacy of Local Politics, by Andrew Radin.
Tags: Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding
The Personal Costs of War: Illustrated by the 2014 England Football Squad
RUSI Journal, 8 February 2021Jo Spear
Contemporary football provides a reminder of the multinational nature of British society and its historical war effort.
Tags: The Great War, History
Editor's Note: RUSI Journal, September 2020
RUSI Journal, 7 February 2021Emma De Angelis
Editor Dr Emma De Angelis introduces the September 2020 issue of the RUSI Journal.
Tags:
Book Review: How Spies Think: Ten Lessons in Intelligence
RUSI Journal, 7 February 2021Gill Bennett and John Scarlett
Gill Bennett and John Scarlett review How Spies Think: Ten Lessons in Intelligence, by David Omand.
Tags: Intelligence
Book Review: The Grand Strategies of Great Powers
RUSI Journal, 7 February 2021Peter Layton
Peter Layton reviews The Grand Strategies of Great Powers, by Tudor A Onea.
Tags: Defence Policy, Global Security Issues
Captains of War: History in Professional Military Education
RUSI Journal, 2 February 2021Louis Halewood and David Morgan-Owen
History, if used correctly, can have an important role in professional military education.
Tags: History, Military Personnel
Lessons Learned from Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism in the Western Balkans
RUSI Newsbrief, 9 April 2021Eric Rosand and Eric Manton
The Western Balkans provides useful lessons for improving ‘whole of society’ approaches for addressing extremist violence, including how governments and civil society organisations in the region as well as international partners can bolster them.
Tags:
The Promise and Peril of Russia’s Northern Sea Route
RUSI Newsbrief, 26 March 2021Elizabeth Buchanan
The blockage of the Suez Canal has underscored once more the urgency of diversifying global maritime trade routes. While the Arctic’s Northern Sea Route is often held up as an alternative, it is more likely that the two routes will end up coexisting without undercutting each other.
Tags: Global Security Issues
The Structural Bias for Sanctions
RUSI Newsbrief, 19 March 2021Steven Mann
Sanctions have become a preferred arm of statecraft, especially in Washington. Reasons for this include the West’s confusion in confronting new forms of Russian aggression and the fact that economic sanctions shift the implementation cost from the public to the private sector.
Tags:
The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War and the New Strategic Landscape
RUSI Newsbrief, 12 March 2021Michael Hikari Cecire
The war in the South Caucasus has significant implications for regional politics and the wider liberal order.
Tags: Global Security Issues
Seven Reasons Why the US Needs to Re-Engage with Turkey
RUSI Newsbrief, 5 March 2021Taras Kuzio
The election of President Joe Biden presents a strategic opportunity for the US to resume playing a more active role in the South Caucasus, Eurasia and the greater Middle East – if Washington and Ankara can refresh their relationship.
Tags:
The Coronavirus Pandemic: Global Challenges Require Global Cooperation
RUSI Newsbrief, 26 February 2021Andrey Krivorotov, Jennifer Cole and Klaus Dodds
The UK–Russia Security Dialogue addresses the ‘new normal’ of international health policy.
Tags:
What to Do in Afghanistan?
RUSI Newsbrief, 19 February 2021Greg Mills
Donors are caught in a bind in Afghanistan. But it is a bind that ties.
Tags: NATO
Military Takeover in Myanmar and the International Community: Past as Prologue?
RUSI Newsbrief, 12 February 2021Jürgen Haacke
Will the coup in Myanmar follow historical patterns or take a different and unpredictable trajectory?
Tags: United Nations
Japan and the US in the Indo-Pacific
RUSI Newsbrief, 5 February 2021Satoru Mori
The election of Joe Biden presents Japan with new opportunities to shape economic and security dynamics in the Indo-Pacific.
Tags:
Eyes in the Sky: Space and the Defence Command Paper
RUSI Defence Systems, 30 March 2021Alexandra Stickings
In addition to this, there is a commitment of £1.4 billion over 10 years, spread across several programmes. The first of these is UK Space Command, perhaps the most well known of the new initiatives put forward by the current government. This new Command is intended to provide command-and-control in space, to coordinate commercial space operations and to develop capabilities. It is perhaps...
Tags: Aerospace
Talent in a Competitive Age – Searching for a Solution
RUSI Defence Systems, 26 March 2021Paul O'Neill
Inevitably, perhaps, much attention has been given to the headline reduction of the regular Army’s planned size from 82,000 to 72,500 – the Paper uses the Army’s (under)strength figure as its baseline for comparison – and what this means for the UK’s ability to operate at any significant scale. It must be hoped that Defence’s Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre is wrong about the global...
Tags:
The Integrated Review: Technology, Not People, Is the UK’s Finest Asset
RUSI Defence Systems, 25 March 2021Andrew Young
This is a question that should not be taken lightly. Betting big on the transformative potential of technology goes against even the most cursory review of military history. Technological advantages alone rarely – if ever – guarantee success. Rather, it is the side that harnesses available technology to the best effect that succeeds; innovation is found in successfully combining the ways with the...
Tags:
A Globally Postured Regional Navy
RUSI Defence Systems, 24 March 2021Sidharth Kaushal
In many ways, this represents the textbook balanced force that figures such as Admiral Richard Hill described as optimal for middle power navies; a force capable of providing deterrent capabilities to secure its vital interest and contributing to broader objectives such as stability further afield. While incapable of operating autonomously, middle powers can generate optionality for themselves by...
Tags: Maritime Forces
On Fewer Wings and a Prayer for the Future: The RAF and the Defence Command Paper
RUSI Defence Systems, 23 March 2021Justin Bronk
In the case of C-130J, the larger A-400M Atlas offers longer range and greater payload with comparable (although somewhat less flexible and a lot less mature) tactical insertion capabilities. While the RAF has struggled to expand the A-400M’s range of cleared capabilities to match those of the proven Hercules fleet, French experience with the aircraft would suggest that this has little to do with...
Tags:
Rangers Lead the Way… But Who Follows?
RUSI Defence Systems, 22 March 2021Jack Watling
Changing the ‘Specialised Infantry Group’ into a Security Force Assistance Brigade will allow the Army to provide partner forces with much more rounded and useful support at command echelons. This also provides a command-and-control structure for partnered operations which other elements of the force can plug into. The accompanying element – critical to having credibility with partners – will be...
Tags: Land Forces, UK Defence
What Can the 2011 Libya Campaign Tell Us About the Future Norms of Warfare?
RUSI Defence Systems, 12 March 2021Peter Roberts
In Libya itself, it is worth considering what has changed in country. The situation 10 years, on suggests the West has abjectly failed in its political goals, which is compounded by the unchallenged rise of Russian influence. Libya is now home to a thriving people smuggling business that the EU’s Operation Sophia has dismally failed to counter.What Lessons Should Have Been Learned?Operation...
Tags:
Reports of the ‘Failure’ of the F-35 are Premature and Exaggerated
RUSI Defence Systems, 25 February 2021Justin Bronk
First and foremost, there is no guarantee that the ‘fifth-gen-minus’ fighter concept will yield a viable alternative approach when examined as part of the TacAir study. In the recent Saab/Boeing T-7 trainer competition, and reportedly within the shadowy Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) programme, digital design techniques have significantly reduced development timescales and costs compared to...
Tags:
Israeli Options for Direct Attacks on Iranian Nuclear Sites
RUSI Defence Systems, 23 February 2021Ehud Eilam
The Iranian Air Force operates ageing fighters such as the Mig-29 and F-14A Tomcat, but they could credibly threaten either the B-52 or C-130J. Given an IAF fighter escort, the main threat would be from the Russian S-300PMU-2/VM, indigenously produced Bavar-373 and Sayyad series surface-to-air missile systems. A single S-300PMU-2 battery radar could detect up to 100 aircraft simultaneously at a...
Tags:
The Integrated Review: The UK as a Reluctant Middle Power?
Occasional Papers, 31 March 2021Malcolm Chalmers
In the third of a series of reflections on UK foreign policy, Malcolm Chalmers looks at the government’s Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy.
Tags: UK, National Security, UK Defence
UK–Russia Security Dialogue: European Security
Conference Reports, 30 March 2021Malcolm Chalmers and Andrey Kortunov
This Conference Report outlines the main findings of the workshop on ‘European Security’ organised by RUSI and the Russian International Affairs Council in February 2021 as part of the UK–Russia Security Dialogue.
Tags: Russia, UK
Project Sandstone Special Report: Black Gold: Exposing North Korea's Oil Procurement Networks
Other Publications, 22 March 2021James Byrne, Joseph Byrne, Lucas Kuo and Lauren Sung
A joint report between Project Sandstone and C4ADS exposes the networks facilitating North Korea's oil-smuggling activities.
Tags: North Korea, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Taking the Profit Out of Intellectual Property Crime: Piracy and Organised Crime
Whitehall Reports, 8 March 2021Ardi Janjeva, Alexandria Reid and Anton Moiseienko
This Whitehall Report explores how criminals make money from piracy and provides recommendations on how the UK government, law enforcement and private sector stakeholders can decrease the profitability of doing so.
Tags: AML/CTF, UK, Organised Crime, Technology
A Complex Matter: Examining Reporting on Terrorism in the UK
Occasional Papers, 4 March 2021Jessica White
This Occasional Paper analyses the role of media reporting on the impact of terrorism and offers recommendations to both the police and the media on how to improve their relationship and how they communicate and report on terrorism.
Tags: UK Counter-terrorism, UK
21st-Century Assistance Dogs? Harnessing Data and Technology
Conference Reports, 1 March 2021Paul O’Neill and Alison Gregory
This report reflects the learning from a RUSI/PA Consulting-hosted series of discussion groups on data and technology. The groups were held between June and December 2020, and featured representatives from the public sector, multiple industry sectors and academics.
Tags: Technology
The UK’s Response to Cyber Fraud: A Strategic Vision
Occasional Papers, 22 February 2021Sneha Dawda, Ardi Janjeva and Anton Moiseienko
This paper provides targeted, long-term recommendations for stakeholders across government, law enforcement and the private sector to tackle cyber fraud.
Tags: Cyber, UK
The Contested Relationship Between Youth and Violent Extremism: Assessing the Evidence Base in Relation to P/CVE Interventions
Occasional Papers, 8 February 2021Claudia Wallner
This paper examines the key limitations of youth empowerment interventions in preventing and countering violent extremism, and identifies potential solutions to overcome these.
Tags: Tackling Extremism
Exploring National Cyber Security Strategies: Policy Approaches and Implications
Occasional Papers, 3 February 2021Sneha Dawda
This Occasional Paper examines national cyber security strategies from around the world and identifies six recurring policy challenges to be considered when building a national cyber strategy.
Tags: Information, Technology
The Silent Threat: The Impact of Fraud on UK National Security
Occasional Papers, 26 January 2021Helena Wood, Tom Keatinge, Keith Ditcham and Ardi Janjeva
This paper explores the impact of fraud on the UK's national security landscape, and sets out the case for adopting a fundamentally different pathway for responding to the problem.
Tags: AML/CTF, UK, National Security, Organised Crime
The Case for Joint Military–Industry Greyzone Exercises
Briefing Papers, 28 September 2020Elisabeth Braw
This Briefing Paper suggests that joint military–industry exercises can help build resilience against the increasing number of greyzone attacks that liberal democracies are facing.
Tags: UK, National Security, Resilience
The Integrated Review: Harnessing the UK’s Financial Capabilities in Support of National Security
Briefing Papers, 5 August 2020Tom Keatinge
This Briefing Paper argues that the UK’s finance capabilities can – and should – contribute to a far greater extent to national security.
Tags: UK, National Security
Rethinking the UK Response to Cyber Fraud: Key Policy Challenges
Briefing Papers, 21 July 2020Sneha Dawda, Ardi Janjeva and Anton Moiseienko
This Briefing Paper outlines the challenges faced in responding to the threat from cyber-enabled fraud in the UK, and provides an overview of the challenges in combating cyber fraud over the next decade and beyond.
Tags: Cyber, UK
Coronavirus: Financial Inclusion Considerations for Risk-Based Supervision and the Virus’s Impact on the Risk-Based Approach
Briefing Papers, 13 July 2020Isabella Chase and Tom Keatinge
This Briefing Paper explores how the financial services opportunities created by the coronavirus pandemic can be used to propel the global adoption of a genuinely risk-based approach to supervision and financial crime controls.
Tags: Coronavirus, AML/CTF
Free Ports, Not Safe Havens: Preventing Crime in the UK’s Future Freeports
Briefing Papers, 27 April 2020Anton Moiseienko, Alexandria Reid and Isabella Chase
This Briefing Paper analyses the possible criminal risks posed by the UK's future freeports.
Tags: UK, Domestic Security, Organised Crime
Data Analytics and Algorithmic Bias in Policing
Briefing Papers, 16 September 2019Alexander Babuta and Marion Oswald
This paper summarises the use of analytics and algorithms for policing within England and Wales, and explores different types of bias that can arise during the product lifecycle.
Tags: Equipment and Acquisitions, UK, Securing Britain, Law and Ethics, National Security, Technology
The UK Cyber Strategy: Challenges for the Next Phase
Briefing Papers, 27 June 2019Conrad Prince and James Sullivan
The UK's 2016 National Cyber Security Strategy reaches its conclusion in 2021. At the midway point of the current strategy, and with an upcoming Spending Review, the focus should now be on building the next strategy. This Briefing Paper poses a series of questions to help frame this debate.
Tags: Cyber, UK, Law and Ethics, National Security, Organised Crime, Technology
No Deal, No Data? The Future of UK–EU Law Enforcement Information Sharing
Briefing Papers, 26 February 2019Alexander Babuta
The UK has been instrumental in developing many of the systems relied upon by EU law enforcement agencies, but the advent of Brexit means that the UK may lose access to these important tools. This briefing paper examines three options for UK–EU law enforcement information sharing post-Brexit.
Tags: European Union, UK, National Security, Europe
The Scale of Money Laundering in the UK: Too Big to Measure?
Briefing Papers, 11 February 2019Anton Moiseienko and Tom Keatinge
By measuring the measurable – rather than lamenting the immeasurability of the immeasurable – the lower bounds of the scale of money laundering in the UK can be established.
Tags: AML/CTF, Intelligence
Brexit and European Security
Briefing Papers, 26 February 2018Malcolm Chalmers
RUSI Deputy Director-General Malcolm Chalmers looks at the security implications for the UK and Europe post-Brexit.
Tags: European Union
War by Others’ Means: Delivering Effective Partner Force Capacity Building
Whitehall Papers, 13 November 2020Jack Watling and Nick Reynolds
In a world of powerful states, countries are likely to partner their armed forces to achieve common aims. Efforts to build capacity in partner forces will play a crucial role.
Tags: Defence Policy, Military Personnel
Decision Points: Rationalising the Armed Forces of European Medium Powers
Whitehall Papers, 30 September 2020Edited by Jack Watling
Europe's medium powers face unavoidable tradeoffs when determining the future shape of their militaries.
Tags: Aerospace, Defence Management, Defence Policy, Land Forces, Maritime Forces, Military Personnel, Europe
Future NATO: Adapting to New Realities
Whitehall Papers, 4 April 2020John Andreas Olsen
A rapidly changing security environment poses new challenges for the Atlantic Alliance.
Tags: NATO, Defence Policy, International Institutions, Europe
The Future of NATO Airpower: How are Future Capability Plans Within the Alliance Diverging and How Can Interoperability be Maintained?
Whitehall Papers, 18 December 2019Justin Bronk
NATO members are pursuing different paths – this poses new challenges for working together as an Alliance.
Tags: Aerospace, NATO, Defence Policy, International Institutions
Security in Northern Europe: Deterrence, Defence and Dialogue
Whitehall Papers, 25 October 2018Edited by John Andreas Olsen
There are a number of challenges facing NATO members in coordinating their response to Russia.
Tags: United States, US Defence Policy, NATO, North America, Americas, Germany, Russia, France, UK, Defence Policy, International Institutions, Europe
Strategic Hedging in the Arabian Peninsula: The Politics of the Gulf-Asian Rapprochement
Whitehall Papers, 20 September 2018Jean-Loup Samaan
Offering a new perspective on the geopolitics of Gulf-Asian relations.
Tags: Pacific, Central and South Asia, Middle East and North Africa
Making Mogadishu Safe: Localisation, Policing and Sustainable Security
Whitehall Papers, 31 July 2018Alice Hills
Tailoring approaches to local conditions has been an important aspect of community security in Mogadishu.
Tags: Horn of Africa, Tackling Extremism, Domestic Security, National Security, Terrorism, Africa
The Spectre of a Westphalian Europe?
Whitehall Papers, 7 March 2018Luis Simón
European geopolitics is undergoing a major structural revision.
Tags: NATO, Germany, European Union, Russia, France, UK, Defence Policy, UK Defence, Europe
Russia's New Ground Forces: Capabilities, Limitations and Implications for International Security
Whitehall Papers, 28 June 2017Igor Sutaygin with Justin Bronk
Russia is undertaking a number of reforms to enhance the capabilities of its land forces in the twenty-first century.
Tags: Russia, Defence Policy, Land Forces, Europe
China's Eurasian Pivot: The Silk Road Economic Belt
Whitehall Papers, 31 May 2017Raffaello Pantucci and Sarah Lain
The modern Silk Road is a key component of China's political and economic strategy in Eurasia.
Tags: China, Pacific
Blood, Metal and Dust: How Victory Turned into Defeat in Afghanistan and Iraq
RUSI Journal, 24 March 2021Mungo Melvin
Mungo Melvin reviews Blood, Metal and Dust: How Victory Turned into Defeat in Afghanistan and Iraq, by Ben Barry.
Tags: UK Defence
Somewhere Near to History: The Wartime Diaries of Reginald Hibbert, SOE Officer in Albania, 1943-1944
RUSI Journal, 24 March 2021Christopher Deliso
Christopher Deliso reviews Somewhere Near to History: The Wartime Diaries of Reginald Hibbert, SOE Officer in Albania, 1943-1944, edited by Jane Nicolov.
Tags: History, Intelligence
A Globally Postured Regional Navy
RUSI Defence Systems, 24 March 2021Sidharth Kaushal
The new Royal Navy force structure and commitments announced in the Defence Command Paper should create a force broadly suitable for the foreign policy aims laid out in the Integrated Review. However, the second order implications may create problems in future.
Tags: Military Sciences, Maritime Forces
Rangers Lead the Way… But Who Follows?
RUSI Defence Systems, 22 March 2021Jack Watling
The British Army has properly resourced working with partners and has structured itself to maximise flexibility. This has come at the expense of combat power in the short and medium term.
Tags: Military Sciences, Land Forces, UK Defence
Between a Pandemic and a Hard Brexit: Grand Strategic Thinking in an Age of Nationalism, Renewed Geopolitical Competition and Human Insecurity
RUSI Journal, 24 February 2021William D James
The UK's turbulent domestic situation has implications for how the country faces external threats.
Tags: Defence Policy, UK Defence
The Personal Costs of War: Illustrated by the 2014 England Football Squad
RUSI Journal, 8 February 2021Jo Spear
Contemporary football provides a reminder of the multinational nature of British society and its historical war effort.
Tags: The Great War, History
Captains of War: History in Professional Military Education
RUSI Journal, 2 February 2021Louis Halewood and David Morgan-Owen
History, if used correctly, can have an important role in professional military education.
Tags: History, Military Personnel
Fighters in the Blood: The Story of a Spitfire Pilot and the Son Who Followed in His Footsteps
RUSI Journal, 8 December 2020Justin Bronk
Justin Bronk reviews Fighters in the Blood: The Story of a Spitfire Pilot and the Son Who Followed in His Footsteps, by Air Marshal ‘Black’ Robertson.
Tags: Aerospace, Military Sciences, History
Overhyped Hypersonics? Examining the US Navy’s Prompt Strike Ambitions
RUSI Defence Systems, 25 November 2020Sidharth Kaushal
The recent announcement that all US Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyers will carry hypersonic weapons for conventional prompt strike missions raises important questions regarding both the CONOPS guiding conventional prompt strike and the specific value of hypersonics for this mission set
Tags: Military Sciences, Maritime Forces
A Perfect Storm? Coronavirus, Brexit, the Integrated Review, Scottish Separatism and the Future of Trident
RUSI Journal, 5 November 2020Andrew Futter and Bleddyn E Bowen
A cocktail of major events might have serious implications for the UK's nuclear deterrent.
Tags: Trident, UK Defence
Missiles, Vessels and Active Defence: What Potential Threat Do the Russian Armed Forces Represent?
RUSI Journal, 5 November 2020Maren Garberg Bredesen and Karsten Friis
Russia's strategy is increasingly focusing on its naval capabilities.
Tags: Maritime Forces
The Type 055: A Glimpse into the PLAN’s Developmental Trajectory
RUSI Defence Systems, 19 October 2020Sidharth Kaushal
The Type 055 Renhai destroyer, which displaces 12,000 tonnes, represents a significant advance in People’s Liberation Army Navy blue-water surface combatant vessel capabilities, in terms of both size and complexity
Tags: Military Sciences, Maritime Forces
A Gathering Storm? The Chinese ‘Attrition’ Strategy for the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands
RUSI Newsbrief, 21 August 2020Alessio Patalano
Chinese activities in the waters around the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands have undergone a significant change over the past few months. This is a potentially dangerous development for Sino–Japanese relations.
Tags: Maritime Forces
The UK Stimulus: Spending on Defence for Economic Benefit
RUSI Newsbrief, 7 August 2020Peter Roberts
There are a myriad of reasons why defence spending has not featured in the fiscal stimulus plan of the UK government, but chief among them is the limited ambition of the Ministry of Defence.
Tags: Armed Forces, Military Sciences, Defence Spending, Equipment and Acquisitions, UK Defence
Recapitalisation of the US Coast Guard: New Ships for the White, Red and Black Hull Fleets
RUSI Defence Systems, 30 June 2020Edward Lundquist
The US Coast Guard is in the midst of a major fleet reset, with new and more capable platforms to replace an aging fleet of patrol ships, inland tenders and icebreakers.
Tags: Domestic Security, Maritime Forces
When Did We Stop Inventing Stuff?
Multimedia, 31 December 2020Disruptive technology has surpassed innovation as the de rigour buzzword for policy documents and is a mandatory phrase for successful funding applications. Militaries and defence organisations...
Tags: Military Sciences
Is the Era of Manoeuvre Warfare Dead?
Multimedia, 24 December 2020US military power since 1980 has been one of historical significance. The doctrine of rapid manoeuvre in the deep battle space, by elite armies of professional all-volunteer forces has defined the...
Tags: Military Sciences
Episode Eight: Freeports in the UK
Multimedia, 18 December 2020In February 2020, the UK government launched a consultation on its plans to establish up to 10 freeports in the UK. Alexandria Reid is joined by Richard Ballantyne from the British Ports Association...
Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, AML/CTF
Electronic Warfare and Cumulative Risk
Multimedia, 17 December 2020Above all other competitors, Russia is the pre-eminent authority in Electronic Warfare. The US military is trying to catch up with their generational deficit in this domain but there is little sign...
Tags: Military Sciences
Europe Turns to the Indo-Pacific
Multimedia, 16 December 2020Germany, France, and The Netherlands have published Indo-Pacific Strategies. The United Kingdom speaks of a strategic tilt to the region. But what does all this mean in practice?
Tags: Bridging the Oceans Podcast Series, China, International Security Studies, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, Japan, India, Maritime Forces, Pacific, Central and South Asia
Episode Seven: Unexplained Wealth Orders: Where to Next
Multimedia, 11 December 20202020 was a roller coaster for Unexplained Wealth Orders in the UK! CFCS’s Anton Moiseienko takes stock of the setbacks and the triumphs with barristers Anita Clifford and James Mather and Alun...
Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, AML/CTF
Sir Mark Rowley on Policing
Multimedia, 11 December 2020Welcome back to Season Two of our 'In Context' podcast. In this episode, Karin talks to RUSI Distinguished Fellow Sir Mark Rowley QPM. Sir Mark discusses his incredible career in the police force and...
Tags: National Security
Soothsaying, Prophecy and Luck
Multimedia, 10 December 2020Historically, the British have been averse to funding a standing army, and perhaps that feeling endures today, in the belief that it is possible to raise and train an army to meet any threat in a...
Tags: Military Sciences
Season Two: Festive Special
Multimedia, 9 December 20202020 – never a dull moment in financial crime! In this special end-of-year episode, CFCS’s Isabella Chase and RUSI colleagues Kayla Izenman, Emil Dall and Anton Moiseienko unpack the financial crime...
Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies
The Paradox Facing Navies
Multimedia, 3 December 2020Peter Roberts talks to Dr Sidharth Kaushal about naval warfare and capital ships in the era of Great Power Competition. Dr Kaushal describes a new form of strategic raiding, the historical precedence...
Tags: Military Sciences
No Neat Battlefields
Germany, Russia and the Gambit for Bosnia
Japan’s Engagement with Southeast Asia