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RUSI

@rusi.bsky.social

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Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies. Founded in 1831, RUSI is the oldest defence and security think tank in the world. Website 💻: https://rusi.org/ WhatsApp 📱: https://bit.ly/4h0M5FQ

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · Nov 26

For the latest analysis on defence, security and international affairs, here is a list of RUSI staff members to follow on BlueSky (will be updated regularly as user base expands).

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 14h

Under less than perfect circumstances, a new government is heading to Damascus. But events continue to remind us that Syria's politics go far beyond elections, writes Dr Serhat Erkmen in the latest RUSI Commentary.

Syria's First Post-Assad Election: Analysis from Damascus

Under less than perfect circumstances, a new government is heading to Damascus. But events continue to remind us that Syria's politics go far beyond elections.

www.rusi.org

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 15h

With Beijing tightening its grip via new rare-earth export controls, revisit our commentary from Cathy Haenlein and Dan Marks that argues that the UK has a vital opportunity to redefine its position in critical minerals and forge a more resilient path.

Priorities for the New UK Critical Minerals Strategy

Previously portrayed as ‘asleep at the wheel', the UK has an opportunity to redefine its position in the critical minerals space.

www.rusi.org

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 1d

In the latest RUSI Commentary, David Roche analyses Russia's capacity for low-cost grey-zone warfare against Europe, concluding that the primary constraint is the rising cost of recruiting soldiers and demography, not the overall economy.

The Kremlin can Afford the Luxury of a Second Anti-NATO Front

Russia's grey-zone warfare against Europe comes at a fraction of the cost of the conflict in Ukraine.

www.rusi.org

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 1d

🌐Are a lack of clear strategic direction from the national security community, insufficient scale up funding, and a low risk appetite the main obstacles preventing the UK from securing a strategic advantage from disruptive technologies? Read our latest report to learn more: https://bit.ly/4mZUefg

RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 2d

Could a concerted strategy of strengthened sanctions, advanced weapons for Ukraine, and incentivising Russian brain drain change Putin's calculus and stop the war machine in Ukraine? Read the latest RUSI Newsbrief by Sergei Guriev to learn more.

Putin's Polycrisis

Despite mounting economic and demographic pressures, Russian President Vladimir Putin will continue to feed the war machine so long as he gains ground in Ukraine. To change his calculus, Western leaders must strengthen sanctions against the Kremlin, pro...

www.rusi.org

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 2d

'France is banking on nuclear power, while Germany relies on renewables. Without coordination between the two top European economies, these choices risk colliding head-on' writes Xavier Jaravel in the latest RUSI Commentary.

The Priorities of a New Franco-German Covenant

To defend Europe against geopolitical and economic turbulence, the Franco-German duo must be re-energised to act now.

www.rusi.org

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 2d

Strategic investments from government, patient funding for priority technologies and a national security community that works more closely with the wider innovation ecosystem will enhance the UK’s ability to secure strategic advantage from disruptive technologies.

RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 2d

👉To secure a true strategic advantage, our report recommends that the UK abandon the unrealistic ambition of being a "global tech superpower" and instead adopt a radically prioritised approach to its tech policy in line with the resources at its disposal.

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 2d

While the UK often compares itself to the US and China, the report notes a limited understanding of best practices from similarly sized European allies facing similar challenges.

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 2d

💱As it stands, the UK frequently loses talent and promising companies to competitors, falling victim to the ‘valley of death’ due to a lack of scale-up capital and a risk-averse culture.

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 2d

The cultural gap separating the siloed national security community from the broader tech ecosystem needs to be overcome, and aspirational but vague strategies need to define clear priority areas instead.

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 2d

👉Establishing a strategic approach to tech policy for national strategic advantage faces several hurdles and sometimes is in competition with the mission for economic growth.

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 2d

But the UK’s ambitious tech agenda aims high across too many technologies. The UK needs a more strategic approach to its tech policy or risks stretching itself too thin.

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 2d

The UK possesses world-leading assets like its academic sector and a thriving start-up scene, strong tech diplomacy, particularly in AI safety, but fails to translate this early research into industrial strength.

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 2d

Our latest paper argues it’s time for a reality check in the global race for disruptive technologies, which is primarily dominated by the US and China.

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 2d

🌐Is the UK’s ambitious tech agenda translating into national advantage?

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 2d

🚨🧵New RUSI report, ‘UK National Security Advantage from Disruptive Technologies’ by @piahuesch.bsky.social and @tashbuckley.bsky.social is out now!

UK National Security Advantage from Disruptive Technologies

This paper identifies existing assets that strengthen UK strategic advantage for national security in disruptive technologies and highlights some gaps and risks for UK policymakers to consider.

www.rusi.org

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 3d

Wabtec's $4.2B locomotive deal with Kazakhstan has been celebrated as a win for Trump's dealmaking and a huge boost for the Middle Corridor. However, a realistic assessment of the deal reveals a more complicated picture, writes Sophia Nina Burna-Asefi.

What to Make of the $4.2 Billion Kazakhstan-US Locomotive Deal?

The Wabtec deal is a big vote of confidence in US industry and diplomacy in Kazakhstan. However, any optimism must be tempered with realism.

www.rusi.org

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 3d

🎙️How can societies accustomed to a peace dividend adapt to new global threats? Dr Fiona Hill, who served the first Trump administration as a Russia expert, shares her expertise on Russian, American, and British defence strategies in the latest Talking Strategy episode: https://bit.ly/3KZd2Og

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 3d

On the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks, revisit yesterday's RUSI webinar that assesses how the subsequent war in Gaza and Israel’s regional operations have fundamentally challenged the political and security balance of power in the Middle East: https://bit.ly/48Qyhf6

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 3d

'One of the main challenges the Royal Navy faces is fielding systems rapidly to enhance capability in the near term whilst maintaining flexibility to embrace improvements and future technology' writes Commander Edward Black.

Subsurface Defence Technology – A Smörgåsbord of Choice

The wide variety of emerging subsurface technologies is both an opportunity for the Royal Navy and presents a challenge in terms of prioritisation of limited resources

www.rusi.org

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 4d

🚨 Ready to share your innovative ideas on defence and security? Enter the Trench Gascoigne Essay Prize and showcase your expertise in national or international security! Visit our website for more details.

RUSI's Trench Gascoigne Essay Prize is Now Open to Entries for 2025

The Trench Gascoigne Essay Prize is RUSI's annual competition for original writing on contemporary issues of national and international defence and security.

t.co

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 4d

Our recent event with International SOS, we explored the critical need for resilient European healthcare. We discussed significant threats and how to protect health systems through national plans and allied collaboration to execute the NATO Medical Action Plan.

RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 4d

🚑If you want to learn more, revisit our other RUSI Commentary that explores the question: How would the NHS cope with war?

How Would the UK’s Healthcare System Cope with War?

Two decades of discretionary out-of-area operations have made European militaries and societies complacent about the potential demands of large-scale warfighting on military and civilian medical care....

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 4d

Russia's playbook in Ukraine includes bombs, cyberattacks, misinformation, and supply disruptions—all aimed at healthcare resilience. As European militaries ready themselves for war, the UK risks making medical readiness an afterthought, write @edrusi.bsky.social and Si Horne.

European Medical Provision in Times of War

As European militaries ready themselves for war, creating resilient medical systems remains an afterthought for the UK.

www.rusi.org

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