RUSI

In the latest Research Paper, @LaurenceT1942 and @Jack_Watling examine what a future British rifle needs to look like after more than 40 years without a full in-service replacement. The paper does not advocate for a specific make, model or variant. Instead, it focuses on the characteristics, compromises and design trade-offs required to meet the demands of the emerging operating environment. The authors explore the competing pressures shaping any future system: range versus lethality, accuracy versus volume of fire, and performance against evolving body armour. All set against a battlefield defined by complex terrain, close fighting, and vehicle-based operations. One conclusion stands out. The UK should select the calibre and rifle that best suits its operational requirements, rather than a less suitable weapon chosen primarily to align with some Allies. We’ve attached a few snapshots as a preview, but the full analysis is well worth the read. Read it here: rusi.org/explore-our-re…

We were delighted to welcome General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, to RUSI to deliver the inaugural Lord Fisher Lecture. He set out a clear vision for a hybrid Royal Navy, combining advanced technologies with uncrewed systems, and highlighted the urgency of strengthening deterrence in the North Atlantic amid rising Russian activity. 'We see our hybrid Navy as part of something greater. A new partnership of Northern Navies, a multinational maritime force to defend north-western Europe and the High North with the UK at the helm.' Read the RUSI News piece: rusi.org/news-and-comme… Watch the event recording: rusi.org/members-event-…

'Houthi attacks on shipping are read as an instrument of geopolitical pressure. That reading is incomplete. The attacks have a second, less visible effect – and it is economic', writes @VBonochoff in the latest #RUSICommentary. rusi.org/explore-our-re…

In our latest Insights Paper, Strengthening Belgium’s Financial Response to Organised Crime, @keatingetom and Dr Kinga Redlowska examine how Belgium is adapting to the growing financial dimension of organised crime. Organised crime groups are increasingly operating as sophisticated financial actors, exploiting vulnerabilities in financial systems to move, conceal, and legitimise illicit proceeds at scale. The paper explores how Belgium is strengthening coordination between institutions, enhancing financial intelligence capabilities, and improving the disruption of illicit financial flows as part of a more integrated response. As criminal networks evolve, financial disruption is becoming a key tool in tackling organised crime and reducing the resilience of illicit markets. Read the full report: rusi.org/explore-our-re…

'Irrespective of tight guardrails in place, this inter-dependence of humans and machines operating at differing paces carries risk of technology driving human decision-making rather than enabling it', write Dr @HuschPia, Prerana Joshi and @noahsylvia_ in the latest #RUSICommentary. Follow the link to learn more: rusi.org/explore-our-re…

Tune in to RUSI’s Director-General @rach_ellehuus on @TheEconomist Insider as she breaks down the risks facing NATO.

The UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, speaking at RUSI today, set out why AI is now central to economic power and national security, warning that failing to invest would be 'a betrayal of British talent and British interests'. The choice is clear: shape the future of AI, or be shaped by it. Read the RUSI News piece: rusi.org/news-and-comme… Watch the event recording: rusi.org/members-event-…

'International pressure on flag registries has pushed part of Russia’s shadow fleet directly under Russian registration, potentially exposing news limits of sanctions enforcement', wites Gonzalo Saiz in the latest #RUSICommentary. rusi.org/explore-our-re…

'The war in the Middle East has boosted oil profits for Russia and Iran and neutered the price cap. It is time to revisit the past', writes @keatingetom in the latest #RUSICommentary. rusi.org/explore-our-re…

'Capability alone will not deliver credible security unless European governments develop the skills, authority, and coherence required to manage their relationships with increasingly powerful private-sector actors', writes @noahsylvia_ in a policy brief for @GLOBSEC. Read it here: globsec.org/what-we-do/pub…

'The disruption of the Strait of Hormuz has shaken oil and gas prices, and for Europe, can only stir a greater drive for energy independence', writes Petras Katinas in the latest #RUSICommentary. rusi.org/explore-our-re…

'If the tool [Mythos] is as good as it seems, then maybe attackers could use it to layer several different layers of vulnerabilities or exploit several sectors in parallel, for example power and water infrastructure, and then really launch an attack that is more powerful than anything we've seen before.' Watch @HuschPia's interview with @Reuters.

'While America evidently still thinks like a superpower that can do anything it wants, it no longer feels an instinctive urge to shoulder global burdens nor to sacrifice its economic interests for security or foreign policy goals, as it did in the past.' writes @bill_emmott in the latest #RUSICommentary. rusi.org/explore-our-re…

In this week's episode of Talking Strategy, Christian Brose, @anduriltech's President & Chief Strategy Officer, describes how governments can build effective relationships with innovative, disruptive small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the defence industrial ecosystem. Listen to the episode: bit.ly/48NR61M

Tune in live to watch @rach_ellehuus and @Cathy_Haenlein discuss the convergence of organised crime with political, business, and security structures, and the ability of criminal actors to capitalise on wider instability at the Delphi Economic Forum. Watch here: bit.ly/4u4J6Sn

'As a supply chain crisis, war shares common features with pandemics and debt crises, albeit potentially more severe. Shared features there may be, but from the beginning of the War, the Gulf appeared as different.' writes @daithideroishte in the latest RUSI Commentary. rusi.org/explore-our-re…

Thank you to all who made this year's Integrated Air and Missile Defence Conference a resounding success. If you weren't able to attend or want to revisit some of the insights shared during the conference you can now watch the first session 'Confronting the Evolving Missile Threat in Europe'. Speakers: Major General Anders Jernberg, Chief of the Norwegian Defence Logistics Organisation @Jack_Watling, Senior Research Fellow, RUSI @Sam_Cranny, RUSI Associate Fellow Chair: Air Cdre Paul O’Neill, Senior Associate Fellow, RUSI Watch the first session: bit.ly/4sPN14n