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
Half of the National Risk Register is Missing
RUSI Newsbrief, 22 January 2021Suzanne Raine
The UK’s National Risk Register ought to be more than a list of bad things which can happen to us. To learn the lessons from the coronavirus pandemic, it needs to be anchored in an improved risk management system which uses empowered analysis to anticipate – and therefore reduce – shocks.
Tags: UK, Information, National Security
Good Practice for the Development of Autonomous Weapons: Ensuring the Art of the Acceptable, Not the Art of the Possible
RUSI Journal, 21 January 2021Tony Gillespie
Highly autonomous weapon systems require new approaches to all stages of procurement and use to ensure compliance with international law.
Tags: Law and Ethics, Technology
NATO and the Arctic: The Need for a New Approach
RUSI Journal, 21 January 2021Duncan Depledge
NATO needs to review its traditionally cautious approach to the Arctic.
Tags: NATO
The SCRI and Strategic Advantage for the UK in the Indo-Pacific
RUSI Newsbrief, 15 January 2021Jagannath Panda
As the UK considers an engagement strategy with the Indo-Pacific after Brexit, the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative offers a chance to build a free-trade bloc amongst ‘like-minded nations’ and deepen strategic ties in the region.
Tags: China, Japan, India, UK, Pacific
The Long Trail of British China Policy
RUSI Newsbrief, 7 January 2021Oliver Yule-Smith
Realising a new approach to Beijing following the Integrated Review will require policymakers to acknowledge the significant historical baggage that comes with policy design in this area. Avoiding these pitfalls will be integral to ensuring a clear-eyed strategy for China.
Tags: China, UK
Resistance and Information Warfare in Mosul and Raqqa: In Darkness, Light
RUSI Journal, 22 December 2020Mike Stevens
Information warfare against the Islamic State made extensive use of two-way communication channels between those inside and outside the occupied cities.
Tags: Iraq, Information
Regaining the Initiative: Can the US Lead Again?
RUSI Newsbrief, 18 December 2020Frank Hoffman
Restoring US leadership in global affairs will require a number of strategic shifts to change the trajectory set by the Trump administration. These substantial choices have to be made quickly by the new Biden team, which faces daunting domestic and political obstacles to its more internationalist approach.
Tags: United States, US Defence Policy
Trouble in Tigray: Worrying Ripples from Ethiopia’s Latest Conflict
RUSI Newsbrief, 11 December 2020Michael Jones
The unfolding conflict in Tigray could mark a dangerous inflection point for both Ethiopia and the wider region.
Tags: Horn of Africa, African Union, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, Africa
From Multirole to Modularity
RUSI Defence Systems, 10 December 2020Jack Watling
Three decades of low-intensity warfare has led to the development of numerous exquisite platforms, bristling with capability, but their cost makes them scarce, and consequently vulnerable. Generating mass and resilience requires federating capabilities.
Tags:
Public Communications Leadership: #CrisisComms and the Manchester Arena Attack
RUSI Journal, 9 December 2020Jill S Russell and Pablo de Orellana
Greater Manchester Police's communications strategy is an example of how to respond in the aftermath of an attack.
Tags: UK Counter-terrorism, Tackling Extremism, UK, Emergency Response, TerrorismPages
Good Practice for the Development of Autonomous Weapons: Ensuring the Art of the Acceptable, Not the Art of the Possible
RUSI Journal, 21 January 2021Tony Gillespie
Highly autonomous weapon systems require new approaches to all stages of procurement and use to ensure compliance with international law.
Tags: Law and Ethics, Technology
NATO and the Arctic: The Need for a New Approach
RUSI Journal, 21 January 2021Duncan Depledge
NATO needs to review its traditionally cautious approach to the Arctic.
Tags: NATO
Resistance and Information Warfare in Mosul and Raqqa: In Darkness, Light
RUSI Journal, 22 December 2020Mike Stevens
Information warfare against the Islamic State made extensive use of two-way communication channels between those inside and outside the occupied cities.
Tags: Information
Public Communications Leadership: #CrisisComms and the Manchester Arena Attack
RUSI Journal, 9 December 2020Jill S Russell and Pablo de Orellana
Greater Manchester Police's communications strategy is an example of how to respond in the aftermath of an attack.
Tags: UK Counter-terrorism, Tackling Extremism, Emergency Response, Terrorism
Toxic: A History of Nerve Agents, From Nazi Germany to Putin’s Russia
RUSI Journal, 8 December 2020David Crouch
David Crouch reviews Toxic: A History of Nerve Agents, From Nazi Germany to Putin’s Russia, by Dan Kaszeta.
Tags: Global Security Issues, Technology
Assistance to Locally Appropriate Military Forces in Southern Somalia: Bypassing Mogadishu for Local Legitimacy
RUSI Journal, 8 December 2020Colin D Robinson and Jahara Matisek
Better outcomes might be achieved by supporting local forces.
Tags: Counterinsurgency, Defence Policy
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, History
Migration Routes: Trails of Hope and Desperation in Yemen
RUSI Journal, 8 December 2020Susan Schulman
A photo essay on the challenges faced by migrants.
Tags: Global Security Issues
Book Review: The First Political Order: How Sex Shapes Governance and National Security Worldwide
RUSI Journal, 8 December 2020Demi Starks
Demi Starks reviews The First Political Order: How Sex Shapes Governance and National Security Worldwide, by Valerie M Hudson, Donna Lee Bowen and Perpetua Lynne Nielsen.
Tags: Global Security Issues
Book Review: The Dragons and the Snakes: How the Rest Learned to Fight the West
RUSI Journal, 8 December 2020Andrew Rathmell
Andrew Rathmell reviews The Dragons and the Snakes: How the West Learned to Fight the Rest, by David Kilcullen.
Tags: Defence Policy, Global Security Issues
Editor's Note: RUSI Journal, June 2020
RUSI Journal, 8 December 2020Emma De Angelis
Editor Dr Emma De Angelis introduces the June 2020 issue of the RUSI Journal.
Tags:
Strengthening UK Support for Gender-Responsive, People-Centred Peacekeeping in Africa
RUSI Journal, 3 December 2020Georgina Holmes
The UK can play an important role in supporting the development of best practice in peacekeeping throughout Africa.
Tags: Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding
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 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
Half of the National Risk Register is Missing
RUSI Newsbrief, 22 January 2021Suzanne Raine
The UK’s National Risk Register ought to be more than a list of bad things which can happen to us. To learn the lessons from the coronavirus pandemic, it needs to be anchored in an improved risk management system which uses empowered analysis to anticipate – and therefore reduce – shocks.
Tags: Information, National Security
The SCRI and Strategic Advantage for the UK in the Indo-Pacific
RUSI Newsbrief, 15 January 2021Jagannath Panda
As the UK considers an engagement strategy with the Indo-Pacific after Brexit, the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative offers a chance to build a free-trade bloc amongst ‘like-minded nations’ and deepen strategic ties in the region.
Tags:
The Long Trail of British China Policy
RUSI Newsbrief, 7 January 2021Oliver Yule-Smith
Realising a new approach to Beijing following the Integrated Review will require policymakers to acknowledge the significant historical baggage that comes with policy design in this area. Avoiding these pitfalls will be integral to ensuring a clear-eyed strategy for China.
Tags:
Regaining the Initiative: Can the US Lead Again?
RUSI Newsbrief, 18 December 2020Frank Hoffman
Restoring US leadership in global affairs will require a number of strategic shifts to change the trajectory set by the Trump administration. These substantial choices have to be made quickly by the new Biden team, which faces daunting domestic and political obstacles to its more internationalist approach.
Tags: US Defence Policy
Trouble in Tigray: Worrying Ripples from Ethiopia’s Latest Conflict
RUSI Newsbrief, 11 December 2020Michael Jones
The unfolding conflict in Tigray could mark a dangerous inflection point for both Ethiopia and the wider region.
Tags: African Union, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding
A Quarter of a Century Since Dayton: Will Bosnia Remain a Frozen Conflict?
RUSI Newsbrief, 4 December 2020Harun Karčić
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s post-war structure remains fragile, and without international support and scaffolding it risks remaining a frozen conflict.
Tags: Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding
Delegate, Disrupt and Protract: Biden’s Path Dependency in the Middle East
RUSI Newsbrief, 27 November 2020Andreas Krieg
Joe Biden is likely to follow a trajectory of path dependency in the Middle East, by leading from behind, delegating rather than implementing, being disruptive rather than constructive, and thus protracting conflict resolutions.
Tags:
Pakistan: What a New Kashmir Policy Might Look Like
RUSI Newsbrief, 20 November 2020Tim Willasey-Wilsey
Pakistan pays a heavy price for its claim to Kashmir: higher military spending, domestic instability, and exclusion from Indian markets and the transit trade with Central Asia. A more coherent Kashmir policy could be constructed at much reduced cost based on achievable objectives, a sober view of the national interest and the long-term needs of the Kashmiri people.
Tags:
Investigating the Information Commissioner’s Office: Is It Fit for Purpose?
RUSI Newsbrief, 13 November 2020Anjuli Shere and Miranda Melcher
The power and independence of the Information Commissioner’s Office appear to have been overstated. Downing Street has built-in oversight of funds and coronavirus data is not being protected.
Tags: Coronavirus, Information
From Multirole to Modularity
RUSI Defence Systems, 10 December 2020Jack Watling
Ironically, many of these expensive multirole capabilities have been driven by threats to budgets. Because the Army has more, but smaller, procurement programmes than its sister services, it has sought to protect key programmes from cuts by centralising capability around them. The same approach is now being pursued with formations. As the Army contracts in size, it is hoped that fewer units can...
Tags:
Enhancing Port and Harbour Security with Unmanned Surface Vehicle Technology
RUSI Defence Systems, 3 December 2020George Galdorisi
The State of the Art of Today’s Port and Harbour SecurityPorts and harbours are chronically vulnerable as they are ‘soft’ targets. Denying illicit access to these large entities by sea or land is an enormous task. While port authorities must be successful all of the time, an attacker only has to successful once.Traditional instruments still dominate security provision for ports and harbours...
Tags: National Security, Resilience
Overhyped Hypersonics? Examining the US Navy’s Prompt Strike Ambitions
RUSI Defence Systems, 25 November 2020Sidharth Kaushal
During the 1991 Gulf War, finding launchers rather than the speed of subsequent engagements was the critical weakness of counter TEL operations. In 1991, over 1,400 sorties against Iraqi Scud launchers did not yield a confirmed kill. Moreover, of the 42 instances in which a launcher was identified, only eight yielded the certainty needed to authorise a weapons release. In other words, it was not...
Tags: Maritime Forces
Avoiding the Reign of Artificial Stupidity
RUSI Defence Systems, 27 October 2020Jack Watling
The problem is that optimised manoeuvres – especially in the context of uncertainty – are liable to be either predictable, or pattern-forming. If for example an AI is told that units must not cross one another’s boundaries to avoid fratricide it will apply that rule rigidly. The result will be unit boundaries that are more rather than less distinct, and therefore more exploitable by enemy forces...
Tags:
The Type 055: A Glimpse into the PLAN’s Developmental Trajectory
RUSI Defence Systems, 19 October 2020Sidharth Kaushal
The Current and Future Capabilities of the Type 055Though nominally a destroyer, the Type 055 is closer to the US Navy’s Ticonderoga-class cruiser in terms of its displacement and capabilities. The 12,000-tonne vessel carries 112 vertical launch system (VLS) cells. This is slightly fewer than the Ticonderoga class, but the nine-metre-long VLS cells on the Type 055 have a greater volume, allowing...
Tags: Maritime Forces
The Key to Armenia’s Tank Losses: The Sensors, Not the Shooters
RUSI Defence Systems, 6 October 2020Jack Watling
Despite the heavy Armenian armoured losses, the key lessons from the videos Azerbaijan has published online are not about armour. Rather, they reflect how the density of sensors on the modern battlefield is changing the balance in combined arms warfare.Before tackling this, some myths need to be challenged. There is a tendency for Western soldiers to dismiss what can be learned from these...
Tags: Land Forces
A Return to Combat Mass? Modern LIFT/LCA Platforms to Complement the Fighter Fleet
RUSI Defence Systems, 9 September 2020Edward Hunt
Leaving aside the complex question of UCAVs, loyal wingmen or swarming UAVs/munitions, the driving forces behind the idea of a ‘good enough’ fighter are cost and convenience. Although by no means a novel concept, a new generation of lead-in fighter trainer (LIFT) aircraft has reignited the notion of an alternative to the pure fighter in terms of a multi-role combat fleet. The M-346FA, F/A-50 and...
Tags: Aerospace
The Missing Link in Britain’s Forces
RUSI Defence Systems, 25 August 2020Jack Watling
NATO Standardisation Agreement 5516 came into effect on 2 March 1990 and as a result Link-16 became ubiquitous across NATO air forces, as well as in air forces procuring aircraft from NATO members. Naval vessels – partly reflecting a requirement to transfer data with aircraft – have also standardised on Link-16. Land forces have been slow adopters, but with the integration of Link-16 in the AH-...
Tags: Land Forces
Where’s the Anti-Tank Reserve?
RUSI Defence Systems, 7 July 2020Jack Watling
The consequences of lacking anti-tank capabilities was demonstrated starkly in the early weeks of the Korean War when North Korean T-34-85s pushed straight through American positions, pinning US troops in their cover until they were enveloped by enemy infantry. The challenge for UK forces today is that it is not feasible for them to carry a sufficient number of anti-tank weapons to defeat an...
Tags: Land Forces
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 Future of the NATO Corps
Occasional Papers, 12 January 2021Jack Watling and Sean MacFarland
This paper examines the future of the corps echelon in NATO, its role on the future battlefield and how it will need to be resourced.
Tags: NATO
Project Sandstone Report 8: Our Man in Malaysia: The Ri Jong Chol Files
Other Publications, 14 December 2020James Byrne and Gary Somerville
Using data extracted from some of Ri Jong Chol's electronic devices, this report highlights the scope and scale of North Korea’s networks abroad and their roles in evading sanctions.
Tags: North Korea
Exploring the Nexus Between Human Rights and Denuclearisation in North Korea
Conference Reports, 9 December 2020Cristina Varriale
A report on a RUSI workshop convened to assess whether human rights and denuclearisation should be addressed as part of the same policy approach to North Korea.
Tags: North Korea
Five Tests for the Integrated Review
Occasional Papers, 8 December 2020Will Jessett, Tom McKane and Peter Watkins
This paper proposes five tests to compare the Integrated Review with the most significant defence and security reviews since 1990.
Tags: Defence Spending, Defence Policy, UK, UK Defence
Persistent Engagement and Strategic Raiding: Leveraging the UK’s Future Carrier Strike Capability to Effect
Occasional Papers, 26 November 2020Sidharth Kaushal
This Occasional Paper examines how the Royal Navy can leverage the potential of its Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers in the context of a strategic environment characterised by persistent competition.
Tags: UK, Maritime Forces
For Whose Benefit? Reframing Beneficial Ownership Disclosure Around Users’ Needs
Occasional Papers, 23 November 2020Tom Keatinge and Anton Moiseienko
Beneficial ownership information should be used to support greater financial system integrity. This paper explores its applications and what they mean for policymaking.
Tags: AML/CTF, Law and Ethics
Preparing for Greyzone Threats to the Energy Sector
Occasional Papers, 18 November 2020Daniel Jonsson
This Occasional Paper analyses state-initiated non-military threats to energy supplies and offers policy recommendations to address vulnerabilities.
Tags: National Security, Resilience
Gambling Responsibly and the UK Tempest Programme: Experiences, Risks and Opportunities
Occasional Papers, 16 November 2020Trevor Taylor
The Tempest programme should be recognised as central to the credibility of the UK's claim to be an independent military actor. This paper explores its risks and opportunities.
Tags: UK, UK Defence
The 2020 UK PONI Papers
Conference Reports, 6 November 2020Edited by Luba Zatsepina and Tom Plant
The 2020 UK PONI Papers examine contemporary civil and military nuclear issues and are written by emerging experts from academia, government and industry who presented at the 2019 UK Project on Nuclear Issues (UK PONI) Annual Conference.
Tags: UK, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Technology
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, Defence Policy, UK, 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, Defence Policy, UK, 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
Public Communications Leadership: #CrisisComms and the Manchester Arena Attack
RUSI Journal, 9 December 2020Jill S Russell and Pablo de Orellana
Greater Manchester Police's communications strategy is an example of how to respond in the aftermath of an attack.
Tags: UK Counter-terrorism, Tackling Extremism, Emergency Response, Terrorism
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
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
Book Review: In Their Own Words: Understanding Lashkar-e-Tayyaba
RUSI Journal, 20 August 2020Raffaello Pantucci
Raffaello Pantucci reviews In Their Own Words: Understanding Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, by C Christine Fair.
Tags: Tackling Extremism, Terrorism
The Nexus Between Crime and Violent Extremism in Kenya: A Case Study of Two Prison Complexes
RUSI Journal, 14 August 2020Gayatri Sahgal and Martine Zeuthen
There is little evidence that radicalisation is occurring in Kenya's prisons.
Tags: Terrorism and Conflict, Domestic Security, Terrorism
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
Deployment Options for the Future Royal Navy’s Long-Range Land-Attack Fires
RUSI Journal, 29 June 2020Ben Wan Beng Ho
A new long-range land-attack capability could be valuable for the Royal Navy.
Tags: Defence Spending, Equipment and Acquisitions, Defence Policy, Maritime Forces, UK Defence
Pakistan and the Rogue State Narrative
RUSI Newsbrief, 5 June 2020Don McLain Gill and Jovito Jose P Katigbak
Despite behaviour that often violates international norms, Pakistan has managed to maintain positive relationships with major Western powers.
Tags: Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Terrorism
Book Review: Europe, Small Navies and Maritime Security: Balancing Traditional Roles and Emergent Threats in the 21st Century
RUSI Journal, 1 June 2020Mathieu Boulègue
Mathieu Boulègue reviews Europe, Small Navies and Maritime Security: Balancing Traditional Roles and Emergent Threats in the 21st Century, edited by Robert McCabe, Deborah Sanders and Ian Speller.
Tags: Maritime Forces
The Strategic Logic of Malaysia’s Muted Response to the South China Sea Standoff
RUSI Newsbrief, 29 May 2020Adam Leong Kok Wey
Malaysia’s response to the latest South China Sea standoff shows a small state practising astute grand strategy.
Tags: Maritime Forces
Towards a New Arctic: Changing Strategic Geography in the GIUK Gap
RUSI Journal, 27 May 2020Rebecca Pincus
The Arctic is increasingly linked to North Atlantic security issues.
Tags: US Defence Policy, NATO, Defence Policy, International Institutions, Maritime Forces
Artificial Intelligence, Drone Swarming and Escalation Risks in Future Warfare
RUSI Journal, 16 April 2020James Johnson
Artificial intelligence on the battlefield challenges key assumptions which underpin military planning.
Tags: Defence Policy, Maritime Forces, Technology
Modelling the Vulnerability of Aircraft Carriers in the European Theatre
RUSI Defence Systems, 20 March 2020Sidharth Kaushal
This article uses a variety of salvo combat models to generate a crude outline of the vulnerability of an aircraft carrier manoeuvring in the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea or the Barents Sea in a conflict involving NATO and Russia
Tags: Military Sciences, Maritime Forces
Breaking Slavery's Financial Chains
Multimedia, 25 January 2021Modern slavery and human trafficking are one of the most profitable crimes in the world, generating hundreds of billions of dollars a year. What more can the financial sector do to help tackle it?...
Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies
Episode Ten: Counter Terrorism Financing: Does the Current Global Approach Work?
Multimedia, 22 January 2021Twenty years on from the 9/11 attacks, has the global response to terrorist financing adapted alongside the evolving risk landscape? The CFCS’s Tom Keatinge is joined by Rachel Love from Standard...
Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, AML/CTF
Is the West Developing Innovation Fatigue?
Multimedia, 21 January 2021Acknowledging the power of innovation as a driver for building a competitive edge in warfare, new defence policies in the UK and US since 2015 began elevating military innovation as the chief...
Tags: Military Sciences
Trump, Biden, and the Indo-Pacific
Multimedia, 20 January 2021After the inauguration of President-elect Biden, this episode both takes a retrospective look at what worked and what didn’t in the Trump Administration’s approach to the Indo-Pacific, and examines...
Tags: Bridging the Oceans Podcast Series, China, International Security Studies, Navigating the Indo-Pacific, Japan, India, Maritime Forces, Pacific, Central and South Asia
Adversarial Studies: Russian Strategic Thinking and the Kremlin’s Approach to Coercion
Multimedia, 19 January 2021In this seminar, Dr Michael Kofman charts the evolution of Russian strategic thinking over the past few decades, explaining how concepts of integrated deterrence and escalation management shape the...
Tags: Adversarial Studies, Military Sciences
Season Three Trailer: Policy Into Practice
Multimedia, 18 January 2021Isabella Chase and Tom Keatinge, two of your hosts for this season, discuss the thinking behind the ‘Policy into Practice’ concept and give listeners a glimpse of what’s in store – from the array of...
Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies
Episode 2: Sir David Lidington on his Life in British Politics
Multimedia, 8 January 2021In this episode, Karin talks to the new Chair of the Institute, the Rt. Hon Sir David Lidington, KCB, CBE. Sir David discusses his career from the early days as a special adviser to eventually...
Tags: National Security
Episode Nine: Kleptopia: How Dirty Money is Conquering the World
Multimedia, 8 January 2021Dirty money is flooding the global economy, emboldening dictators and poisoning democracies. Journalist Tom Burgis unveils the stories that form his book Kleptopia. Alexandra Wrage, president and...
Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, AML/CTF
UK Economic Crime: 2021 Agenda at RUSI's Centre for Financial Crime & Security Studies
Multimedia, 5 January 2021Jonathan van der Valk, Research Analyst at RUSI’s Centre for Financial Crime & Security Studies, gives a glimpse of what he’ll be focusing on in 2021.
Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, AML/CTF
Sanctions and CPF: 2021 Agenda at RUSI's Centre for Financial Crime & Security Studies
Multimedia, 5 January 2021Emil Dall, Research Fellow at RUSI’s Centre for Financial Crime & Security Studies, gives a glimpse of what he’ll be focusing on in 2021.
Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, AML/CTF
Yemen: Engaging, Not Isolating
Breaking Slavery's Financial Chains
The Biden Administration’s First Steps and the UN