RUSI
@rusi.bsky.social
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
Website 💻: https://rusi.org/
WhatsApp 📱: https://bit.ly/4h0M5FQ
Pinned
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).
Drug traffickers are constantly innovating to increase profitability and lower operational risk. Their experimentation with uncrewed semi-submersible technology presents a predicament for counternarcotics strategies centred on deterrence.
Uncrewed and Under the Radar: How AUVs Transform Drug Smuggling
Drug traffickers are constantly innovating to increase profitability and lower operational risk. Their experimentation with uncrewed semi-submersible technology presents a predicament for counternarcotics strategies centred on deterrence.
www.rusi.org
November 25, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Drug traffickers are constantly innovating to increase profitability and lower operational risk. Their experimentation with uncrewed semi-submersible technology presents a predicament for counternarcotics strategies centred on deterrence.
'Unlike Chamberlain, who may have bought just enough time for Britain to prepare adequately to stave off Hitler’s war machine, there appears no such logic driving Trump. His mercantilism flies in the face of the human cost of this war' writes Dr Greg Mills.
Peace in Ukraine – In Our Time?
President Donald Trump’s 28-point peace plan for Ukraine could have been written less by a well-meaning Chamberlain than Vladimir Putin himself. But progress in talks in Geneva and the European re-wri...
www.rusi.org
November 24, 2025 at 4:54 PM
'Unlike Chamberlain, who may have bought just enough time for Britain to prepare adequately to stave off Hitler’s war machine, there appears no such logic driving Trump. His mercantilism flies in the face of the human cost of this war' writes Dr Greg Mills.
📺In the latest RUSI Video Commentary, Research Fellow Dan Marks examines the challenges facing COP in a fractious, multipolar world. As global security concerns rise, can this 1990s model of climate diplomacy adapt? Full video here: https://bit.ly/3XKC8DJ
November 24, 2025 at 3:46 PM
📺In the latest RUSI Video Commentary, Research Fellow Dan Marks examines the challenges facing COP in a fractious, multipolar world. As global security concerns rise, can this 1990s model of climate diplomacy adapt? Full video here: https://bit.ly/3XKC8DJ
#HIRING
Join us in shaping the future of global finance!
Join the Centre for Finance and Security at RUSI! We're looking for a Research Fellow to lead our high-impact portfolio and drive new research into the UK and global response to financial crime: https://bit.ly/4odf9fA
Join us in shaping the future of global finance!
Join the Centre for Finance and Security at RUSI! We're looking for a Research Fellow to lead our high-impact portfolio and drive new research into the UK and global response to financial crime: https://bit.ly/4odf9fA
November 21, 2025 at 3:55 PM
#HIRING
Join us in shaping the future of global finance!
Join the Centre for Finance and Security at RUSI! We're looking for a Research Fellow to lead our high-impact portfolio and drive new research into the UK and global response to financial crime: https://bit.ly/4odf9fA
Join us in shaping the future of global finance!
Join the Centre for Finance and Security at RUSI! We're looking for a Research Fellow to lead our high-impact portfolio and drive new research into the UK and global response to financial crime: https://bit.ly/4odf9fA
'The current Labour government does make considerable use of the NSC, but has made some structural changes which have created more distance between policymakers and the intelligence agencies' writes @drceliap-v.bsky.social in latest RUSI Commentary.
Learning from Canberra: A Smarter Vision for UK Intelligence and National Security
Without adopting Canberra's policies wholesale, the UK's intelligence-policymaker network would benefit from making some of the changes Australia has implemented, particularly the designation of a principal adviser to the Prime Minister on intelligence ...
www.rusi.org
November 21, 2025 at 1:00 PM
'The current Labour government does make considerable use of the NSC, but has made some structural changes which have created more distance between policymakers and the intelligence agencies' writes @drceliap-v.bsky.social in latest RUSI Commentary.
Recent history in Afghanistan and Iraq teaches that rebuilding in active conflict zones comes with its share of hazard and futility, but it is a necessity in Gaza and Ukraine despite its uncertainty. Read the latest RUSI Commentary from Emma Isabella Sage.
The Reconstruction Trap: The Next Failure in Gaza and Ukraine?
Recent history in Afghanistan and Iraq teaches that rebuilding in active conflict zones comes with its share of hazard and futility, but it is a necessity in Gaza and Ukraine despite its uncertainty.
www.rusi.org
November 20, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Recent history in Afghanistan and Iraq teaches that rebuilding in active conflict zones comes with its share of hazard and futility, but it is a necessity in Gaza and Ukraine despite its uncertainty. Read the latest RUSI Commentary from Emma Isabella Sage.
'In an apparent triumph for Russia, however, ChatGPT – along with Google’s Gemini, xAI’s Grok and DeepSeek – have been giving users propaganda from Russian state media, pro-Kremlin sites and Russian intelligence sites' writes Sophie Boulter.
Humanity Will Pay the Cost of AI Becoming More Human
ChatGPT will soon remove restrictions which were put in place to minimise its more humanlike features. This is bad news for security, worsening an AI already rife with security issues including misinf...
www.rusi.org
November 19, 2025 at 7:40 PM
'In an apparent triumph for Russia, however, ChatGPT – along with Google’s Gemini, xAI’s Grok and DeepSeek – have been giving users propaganda from Russian state media, pro-Kremlin sites and Russian intelligence sites' writes Sophie Boulter.
'Without the appointment of a collaborative [Iraqi] prime minister who shares elements of Washington’s agenda, any disarmament effort [of Iran-backed armed groups] could be diluted or redirected' writes Tamer Badawi in the latest RUSI Commentary.
Iraq Elections Return Incumbents, Testing US and Iranian Influence
Iraq's elections make ponderous a status quo Washington and Tehran seek to preserve; manoeuvring politicians make work for external powers contesting the fate of Iraq's Iran-backed militia groups.
www.rusi.org
November 19, 2025 at 5:54 PM
'Without the appointment of a collaborative [Iraqi] prime minister who shares elements of Washington’s agenda, any disarmament effort [of Iran-backed armed groups] could be diluted or redirected' writes Tamer Badawi in the latest RUSI Commentary.
Join us on 15 December for the Chief of the Defence Staff Lecture, an established RUSI tradition. This year, we welcome Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton following his September appointment.
Annual CDS Lecture 2025 by Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton
Join us for the annual Chief of the Defence Staff Lecture by Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton
my.rusi.org
November 19, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Join us on 15 December for the Chief of the Defence Staff Lecture, an established RUSI tradition. This year, we welcome Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton following his September appointment.
Russia has reportedly modified its Iskander 9M723 ballistic missiles making them harder to intercept. The causes are unclear, but the impact on Ukraine is not, write Sam Cranny-Evans and Dr Sidharth Kaushal.
Iskander: An Improved Russian Missile Tests Ukraine’s Air Defence
Russia has reportedly modified its Iskander 9M723 ballistic missiles making them harder to intercept. The causes are unclear, but the impact on Ukraine is not.
bit.ly
November 18, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Russia has reportedly modified its Iskander 9M723 ballistic missiles making them harder to intercept. The causes are unclear, but the impact on Ukraine is not, write Sam Cranny-Evans and Dr Sidharth Kaushal.
#HIRING
We are seeking a Senior Research Fellow! The role will focus on Russian and Eurasian issues, delivering research projects and enhancing our profile in this critical area. Interested? Apply now or share with your network: https://bit.ly/3LOmeFJ
We are seeking a Senior Research Fellow! The role will focus on Russian and Eurasian issues, delivering research projects and enhancing our profile in this critical area. Interested? Apply now or share with your network: https://bit.ly/3LOmeFJ
November 18, 2025 at 4:45 PM
#HIRING
We are seeking a Senior Research Fellow! The role will focus on Russian and Eurasian issues, delivering research projects and enhancing our profile in this critical area. Interested? Apply now or share with your network: https://bit.ly/3LOmeFJ
We are seeking a Senior Research Fellow! The role will focus on Russian and Eurasian issues, delivering research projects and enhancing our profile in this critical area. Interested? Apply now or share with your network: https://bit.ly/3LOmeFJ
🎙️Gen. Robinson brings her military expertise to the Talking Strategy podcast, offering valuable insights that shape foreign policy and drive innovative strategic thinking.
🎧Listen here: https://bit.ly/4i6uUn3
🎧Listen here: https://bit.ly/4i6uUn3
November 18, 2025 at 3:47 PM
🎙️Gen. Robinson brings her military expertise to the Talking Strategy podcast, offering valuable insights that shape foreign policy and drive innovative strategic thinking.
🎧Listen here: https://bit.ly/4i6uUn3
🎧Listen here: https://bit.ly/4i6uUn3
Far from making a ‘reckless’ commitment likely to escalate tension, by checking Beijing’s hubristic tendencies, Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi may have done us all a favour, writes Dr Philip Shetler-Jones in the latest RUSI Commentary.
Japan’s Stance on Taiwan’s Security is Good for the Status Quo and Asian Security
Far from making a ‘reckless’ commitment likely to escalate tension, by checking Beijing’s hubristic tendencies, Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi may have done us all a favour.
www.rusi.org
November 17, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Far from making a ‘reckless’ commitment likely to escalate tension, by checking Beijing’s hubristic tendencies, Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi may have done us all a favour, writes Dr Philip Shetler-Jones in the latest RUSI Commentary.
🎧 How are terrorist organisations raising and moving money? The latest STR podcast examines the FATF's comprehensive update on terrorist financing, questioning if current approaches are sufficiently nuanced to address evolving threats: https://bit.ly/3K2aOxC
November 14, 2025 at 4:09 PM
🎧 How are terrorist organisations raising and moving money? The latest STR podcast examines the FATF's comprehensive update on terrorist financing, questioning if current approaches are sufficiently nuanced to address evolving threats: https://bit.ly/3K2aOxC
'While it may be unrealistic to obstruct China’s national strategy, it may nevertheless be possible to delay its progression by expanding mini-lateral export control frameworks among key technology-supplying nations' writes Masashi Umehara.
Huawei's ‘Spare Tyre 2.0’ and the Limits of US Sanctions
How mini-lateral export control frameworks among key technology-supplying nations can put a slow puncture into Huawei’s ‘Spare Tyre’ of entities created to counter US sanctions.
www.rusi.org
November 14, 2025 at 2:57 PM
'While it may be unrealistic to obstruct China’s national strategy, it may nevertheless be possible to delay its progression by expanding mini-lateral export control frameworks among key technology-supplying nations' writes Masashi Umehara.
'But rare earths are different from oil; they are not geologically rare. What China monopolises is not the resource but the technology. And unlike oil, that technology is a replicable natural asset' writes Nero Huang in the latest RUSI Commentary.
Xi-Trump Pause on Rare-Earths Tariff Shields AI Bubble Temporarily
At the Xi-Trump meeting, China paused rare-earths curbs for a year and pledged to refine detailed plans, offering a cautious sip of a bitter cup ahead.
www.rusi.org
November 14, 2025 at 1:49 PM
'But rare earths are different from oil; they are not geologically rare. What China monopolises is not the resource but the technology. And unlike oil, that technology is a replicable natural asset' writes Nero Huang in the latest RUSI Commentary.
Following news of the planned abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners across England and Wales, RUSI's Cathy Haenlein provides her analysis. Read her full comments on our website: https://bit.ly/488Gjzj
November 13, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Following news of the planned abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners across England and Wales, RUSI's Cathy Haenlein provides her analysis. Read her full comments on our website: https://bit.ly/488Gjzj
In a visit that consolidated bilateral stability between the US and Japan, economic matters held more focus than issues of defence for President Trump, writes Daisuke Kawai in the latest RUSI Commentary.
The Trump–Takaichi Summit and Japan’s Emerging Economic Statecraft
In a visit that consolidated bilateral stability between the US and Japan, economic matters held more focus than issues of defence for President Trump.
www.rusi.org
November 13, 2025 at 4:51 PM
In a visit that consolidated bilateral stability between the US and Japan, economic matters held more focus than issues of defence for President Trump, writes Daisuke Kawai in the latest RUSI Commentary.
#HIRING
We're looking for a creative communicator! Step into the role of Communications Coordinator at RUSI and help transform big ideas into impactful stories. Apply now, and/or share with your network: https://bit.ly/4nSfZ0U
Deadline: 24 November
We're looking for a creative communicator! Step into the role of Communications Coordinator at RUSI and help transform big ideas into impactful stories. Apply now, and/or share with your network: https://bit.ly/4nSfZ0U
Deadline: 24 November
November 13, 2025 at 3:46 PM
#HIRING
We're looking for a creative communicator! Step into the role of Communications Coordinator at RUSI and help transform big ideas into impactful stories. Apply now, and/or share with your network: https://bit.ly/4nSfZ0U
Deadline: 24 November
We're looking for a creative communicator! Step into the role of Communications Coordinator at RUSI and help transform big ideas into impactful stories. Apply now, and/or share with your network: https://bit.ly/4nSfZ0U
Deadline: 24 November
'We have seen the US cut off satellite imagery to Ukraine and we cannot allow that to happen elsewhere in Europe. Real-time intelligence and global surveillance capacity have become essential to modern defence planning' writes Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
Europe Must Close the Space Gap
Russia's invasion of Ukraine showed Europeans that they cannot take their security for granted or rely on others for critical functions. Yet the European Union is doing exactly that by allowing itself to fall behind in the new space race.
www.rusi.org
November 13, 2025 at 1:55 PM
'We have seen the US cut off satellite imagery to Ukraine and we cannot allow that to happen elsewhere in Europe. Real-time intelligence and global surveillance capacity have become essential to modern defence planning' writes Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
🎙️ In the latest Global Security Briefing episode, Professor John Bew reflects on the UK's evolving global role and how Britain can navigate an era of geopolitical upheaval. Tune in as he discusses strategic reviews and the future of UK foreign policy.
Episode 111: The UK in a Changing World: A Conversation with Professor John Bew
Professor John Bew joins Neil Melvin to reflect on the UK’s evolving global role, strategic reviews, and how Britain can navigate an era of geopolitical upheaval.
www.rusi.org
November 12, 2025 at 5:35 PM
🎙️ In the latest Global Security Briefing episode, Professor John Bew reflects on the UK's evolving global role and how Britain can navigate an era of geopolitical upheaval. Tune in as he discusses strategic reviews and the future of UK foreign policy.
'If Afghanistan does not crack down on the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) safe havens within its territory, it will not be possible to address the infiltration of terrorists', write Zuha Noor-Sylvia and Noah Sylvia in the latest RUSI Commentary.
Pakistan-Afghanistan Conflict and the Question of Cross-Border Terrorism
The latest round of Pakistan-Afghanistan violence and negotiations highlights how Pakistan's cyclical policy failures and Afghan Taliban's tolerance for terrorist havens threaten to derail any prospects for durable peace in the region.
www.rusi.org
November 12, 2025 at 4:09 PM
'If Afghanistan does not crack down on the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) safe havens within its territory, it will not be possible to address the infiltration of terrorists', write Zuha Noor-Sylvia and Noah Sylvia in the latest RUSI Commentary.
Despite Assad’s fall, Russia retains influence through debt leverage, military basing and security mediation. Read the latest RUSI Commentary from Kelly Kassis.
Russia's Enduring Grip on Syria
Despite Assad's fall, Russia retains influence through debt leverage, military basing and security mediation.
www.rusi.org
November 11, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Despite Assad’s fall, Russia retains influence through debt leverage, military basing and security mediation. Read the latest RUSI Commentary from Kelly Kassis.
🚨New RUSI report, ‘Vulnerabilities in Sukhoi Production: Clipping Russia’s Wings’ by Nikolay Staykov and Jack Watling is out now.
Vulnerabilities in Sukhoi Production: Clipping Russia’s Wings
This research paper examines the critical vulnerabilities in the production of Russia’s Sukhoi combat aircraft and its implications for NATO and global defence markets.
www.rusi.org
November 11, 2025 at 10:04 AM
🚨New RUSI report, ‘Vulnerabilities in Sukhoi Production: Clipping Russia’s Wings’ by Nikolay Staykov and Jack Watling is out now.
'The government now has a perverse incentive to kill, not capture – a strategic weakness which was on full display when the US released the first two survivors of the strikes to their countries of origin' write Gil Guerra and Emma Isabella Sage in the latest RUSI Commentary.
Trump’s Strategy Against Venezuelan Gangs is Self-Defeating
By recasting Venezuelan gangs as combatants in an armed conflict, the Trump administration is testing the limits of U.S. law and policy — and in this case, the ends may not justify the means.
www.rusi.org
November 10, 2025 at 5:46 PM
'The government now has a perverse incentive to kill, not capture – a strategic weakness which was on full display when the US released the first two survivors of the strikes to their countries of origin' write Gil Guerra and Emma Isabella Sage in the latest RUSI Commentary.