Sign in

RUSI

@rusi.bsky.social
14K followers 131 following 1.4K posts

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 💻: rusi.org WhatsApp 📱: bit.ly/4h0M5FQ

PostsRepliesMedia
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 13h
This winter isn't just testing Ukraine's resilience - it's testing Europe's, as Russia escalates pressure on European grids, with cyberattacks the most credible threat.
rusi.org
Testing Europe's Resolve: The Growing Threat Against European Energy
As the Hormuz crisis strains supplies, Russia is likely to test Europe's resolve this winter, with cyberattacks on energy infrastructure the most credible threat.
14523
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 16h
Stablecoins are no longer a niche story. The market now stands at roughly $317bn, and stablecoins are becoming real payment infrastructure. Yet AML/CFT rules were built for banks, not blockchains, and are struggling to keep pace.
rusi.org
Could Stablecoins be the Future of Payments and Financial Integrity?
Stablecoins are becoming important payment infrastructure, but policymakers are still trying to govern them through the financial crime frameworks built for traditional finance.
020
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Europe is fighting a hybrid war with a one-dimensional toolkit. Our new report by Dr Louise Marie Hurel and Dr Gareth Mott argues cyberattacks demand a broader political response. It proposes a 52-tool framework across diplomatic, economic, and military instruments, sequenced to adversary behaviour.
rusi.org
Beyond ‘Cyber' in Deterrence: A Multilevel Framework
This paper presents a multilevel framework for cyber deterrence, integrating cyber and non-cyber tools to counter threats and enhance national security.
0104
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Putin doesn't need a new mobilisation - Russia is already sustaining one quietly. The question is how long before the cost becomes politically unavoidable, writes Zoe Neiman.
rusi.org
Russia Has Not Avoided Mobilisation: It Has Normalised It
Vladimir Putin never formally ended his 2022 partial mobilisation. The question is not whether he orders another, but how long its quieter replacement can hold.
0132
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The UK's investment screening regime remains stable under Burnham, with approval rates and priority sectors largely unchanged. But, as Dan Spacie argues, the underlying calculus is shifting along with 'Britain's geopolitics and conception of strategic sovereignty'. bit.ly/4hMihyV
bit.ly
Under Burnham, Investment Screening Remains Hard to Predict
There is uncertainty over what capabilities a sovereignty-minded government decides Britain must control.
040
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Trump once urged Europe to buy more US energy as leverage against Russia. Now he's weighing a diesel export ban to ease record prices at home - and Europe could pay the price. Read Petras Katinas' new RUSI Commentary on Europe's exposure.
rusi.org
Europe’s Diesel Vulnerability to US Export Restrictions
Europe’s reliance on US energy exports was meant to insulate the continent from Russia. But it may result in new and potentially equally powerful vulnerabilities.
4217
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The Mecca Agreement, signed by Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, echoes NATO's Article 5, and could reshape Middle East security. Dr Burcu Ozcelik explains what it means for the region and the US, in the latest RUSI Reflects. 🎥 Watch here: bit.ly/4y4hw9z
074
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Following the shutdown of USAID, high-aid-exposure African regions saw violence rise: ‘conflict events increased by 10.6%, battle counts rose by 6.9%, and battle-related fatalities went up by 9.3%.’ Our new article explores aid's link to security.
rusi.org
Development Aid as Security Policy?
Recent cuts to foreign aid have raised serious humanitarian concerns. They also offer vital insights into the relationship between development and security going forward.
0169
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The EU cannot outrun NATO in the Arctic. Its real gap is that 'it has no legal category between ‘Member State’ and ‘third country’ for partners it depends on but will never absorb through enlargement', write Andreas Østhagen and Andreas Raspotnik.
rusi.org
The EU's Arctic Problem is not Unanimity. It is a Missing Category
The EU cannot outrun NATO in the Arctic. Its real gap is a legal category for partners like Norway, Iceland and the UK.
073
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
North Korea has abandoned unification as a goal and refuses to discuss denuclearisation, yet these old frameworks persist in shaping how we analyse Korean Peninsula security - the latest #GlobalSecurityBriefing episode asks what should replace them: bit.ly/3VKIGo8
0113
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Russia's parliamentary election delivered the expected result: a decisive victory for United Russia. What follows is far less predictable. Natia Seskuria argues that the Kremlin's options are narrowing - with growing indications it may be preparing for a further wave of mobilisation.
rusi.org
Putin’s Predictable Victory, Russia’s Uncertain Future
Russia’s elections were a staged affair, designed to legitimise Putin’s war on Ukraine. But elections have never decided Russia’s future. The latest ballots are no exception
062
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
🎙️Talking Strategy returns. Season 7 opens with NATO's Dr Florence Gaub on strategic foresight: how to anticipate the futures you can't predict, avoid strategic surprise, and get the people in power to actually listen. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts!
rusi.org
Episode 1: Avoiding Strategic Surprise: Lessons from NATO with Dr Florence Gaub
NATO expert Dr Florence Gaub explains how strategic foresight helps NATO anticipate and avoid strategic surprise in an uncertain world.
081
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
After claiming strikes on Riyadh and an Aramco facility at Yanbu, the Houthis' gains around Bab Al-Mandeb are exposing different visions of Gulf security - as Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, Pakistan and the US weigh their responses. Read the latest RUSI Commentary from Burcu Ozcelik.
rusi.org
The Battle for Bab Al-Mandeb is Becoming a Contest for Regional Power
Houthi gains around Bab Al-Mandeb have exposed rival visions of Gulf security, as Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, Pakistan and the US weigh competing responses.
0167
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
In August, a CIA director and a Vatican diplomat both visited Moscow. Only one made headlines. Our latest RUSI Commentary argues that Russia's claims over Ukraine's churches are a security issue policymakers can't overlook.
rusi.org
Moscow's Other Front: Why Ukraine's Churches Are a Security Issue
A CIA director and the Vatican's foreign minister were in Moscow in August. The spy chief drew the coverage; the Archbishop's visit showed religion belongs in any analysis and resolution of Russia's war.
0175
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
77,316 general aviation flights arrived in the UK from abroad in 2025. Private jets. Light aircraft. Helicopters. Borders crossed outside the familiar system of scheduled commercial departure gates and passport queues. Cathy Haenlein maps the border security blind spot above us.
rusi.org
Organised Crime and General Aviation in the UK and Benelux
This paper examines how organised crime exploits general aviation and drones in the UK and the Benelux, revealing critical security vulnerabilities.
0114
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Can a financial integrity system built for multilateral cooperation still work in a world split by war and rivalry? RUSI's Kinga Redlowska explores this question in the latest RUSI Commentary.
rusi.org
Illicit Finance in a Fragmenting World: Can the Global System Keep Pace?
Today’s financial integrity architecture took shape in an era of multilateral cooperation. Can it still be effective in a world divided by war and geopolitical rivalry?
043
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
'Universities should not only educate people before they enter defence. They should be part of how people learn throughout their careers' writes Dr Tom Smith in the latest RUSI Commentary.
rusi.org
Britain’s Defence Industrial Strategy Has a University-Shaped Gap
The 2025 Defence Industrial Strategy casts universities as suppliers of graduates and research. To deliver it, they must become part of the machinery itself.
172
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
'The defining feature of Putin’s post-2022 sabotage campaign – and a key enabler of both its expansion and the escalation risks it generates – has been its reliance on amateurs.' Read the latest RUSI Newsbrief by Dr Daniela Richterova
rusi.org
How Low-Skill Russian Sabotage Drives High-Stakes Outcomes
Russian reliance on amateur saboteurs enables an escalating campaign across NATO but creates a less-visible risk of unintended escalation by operational dysfunction.
1157
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
'The state which would inherit the defence responsibilities of the island of Ireland, its waters and skies, cannot presently discharge the limited responsibilities it already has.' writes Philip Hamilton in the latest RUSI Commentary.
rusi.org
‘No Good Answer’: Who Would Defend a United Ireland?
Northern Ireland is NATO territory. Irish unification would remove it from the Alliance – and neither London nor Dublin has planned for the defence consequences.
1144
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
‘The recent donation of £72 million to Reform UK from two crypto billionaires brings into sharp relief growing concerns about the potential for mega donors to create undue political influence,’ says Eliza Lockhart, @cfs-rusi.bsky.social. Read about our Cryptocurrencies in UK Politics project.
bit.ly
Cryptocurrencies in UK Politics
Our work examines the risk of opaque, foreign or malign influence entering UK politics via cryptocurrency donations.
0229
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Direct German funding of the UK’s nuclear deterrent would create more problems than it solves. Deeper Anglo-German cooperation on integrated deterrence offers a better path. Read the latest RUSI Commentary by Darya Dolzikova​ and Dr Sidharth Kaushal.
rusi.org
British–German Nuclear Cooperation: Joint Support, Not Financing
Direct German funding of the UK’s nuclear deterrent would create more problems than it solves. Deeper Anglo-German cooperation on integrated deterrence offers a better path.
1163
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Yesterday we invited RUSI members to our library at 61 Whitehall for the awards ceremony of the 2025 Duke of Wellington Medal for Military History where His Grace, the Duke of Wellington presented the award to the winner Keith Lowe. To find out more about the award: bit.ly/4A6jSXq
051
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
'for now Russia’s attacks of NATO infrastructure lack the coordination and coherence to disable transport infrastructure for long periods and cause significant disruption.' writes Emily Ferris, RUSI Senior Associate Fellow, in the latest RUSI Commentary.
rusi.org
Leipzig Sabotage: Why Transport Underpins NATO and Russia’s Defences
Germany’s attribution of the Leipzig drone attack to Russia shows why transport networks now sit at the centre of both NATO’s and Russia’s defence.
0114
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
New Zealand's 2025 Defence Capability Plan is a promise, not a result. A Defence Capacity Statement could keep national-security risk, readiness and delivery connected. Read the latest RUSI Commentary by Ian Ball, John Crompton, Dag Detter and Major General John G. Howard MNZM.
rusi.org
2027 Will Test New Zealand's Defence at the Speed of Relevance
New Zealand's 2025 Defence Capability Plan is a promise, not a result. A Defence Capacity Statement could keep national-security risk, readiness and delivery connected.
063
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
'This is a totally different form of war.' In the latest Global Security Briefing episode, General David H Petraeus and Professor Kevin Rowlands sit down to discuss how autonomous systems are reshaping conflict. Watch or listen to the episode here: bit.ly/3UxqONf
0112
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
A low-cost route to force regeneration: actively manage the Veterans ID card and Defence Gateway to build a dynamic, trained virtual reserve from those who have served. Read the latest RUSI Commentary by Colonel David Rew.
rusi.org
Force Regeneration through the Veteran ID Card and Defence Gateway
A low-cost route to force regeneration: actively manage the Veterans ID card and Defence Gateway to build a dynamic, trained virtual reserve from those who have served.
050
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
'The perseverance of the authorities on both sides of the Irish border to contain or suppress the New IRA threat is not in doubt. What is questionable is the conceptual framing of terrorism in this context.' writes Dr Aaron Edwards in the latest #RUSICommentary.
rusi.org
The Renaissance of the Dissident Republican Threat
The dissident Irish republican terror group threat is changing. Counter-terrorism officials must keep pace to meet the evolving security challenge.
052
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
The upcoming episode of Global Security Briefing features an insightful interview with General David H. Petraeus. Make sure to tune in on 9 September to hear General Petraeus discuss autonomous warfare, drone technology and the military transformation driven by Ukraine: bit.ly/4czOS89
493
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Russia is learning how to restore command, targeting and sustainment after disruption. NATO should measure success by how long the military function stays unavailable. Read the latest RUSI Commentary by Roger N. McDermott.
rusi.org
Russia's Most Dangerous Military Adaptation Is Recovery
Russia is learning how to restore command, targeting and sustainment after disruption. NATO should measure success by how long the military function stays unavailable.
12310
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Europe's nuclear future prominently on the agenda. But talk is cheap, even of grand designs, and the debate lacks an understanding of joint responses or near-term steps. Read the RUSI Commentary by Dr Aylin Matlé (@aylinmatle.bsky.social) senior research fellow, German Council on Foreign Relations.
rusi.org
Europe Started Talking Nuclear Deterrence. Still Missing: A Plan
Europe's nuclear future prominently on the agenda. But talk is cheap, even of grand designs, and the debate lacks an understanding of joint responses or near-term steps.
194
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The UK is overhauling how it oversees the legal and accountancy sectors for anti-money laundering, but making the new system work is the real test. Read the latest RUSI Commentary by Veronica Stratford-Tuke.
rusi.org
Unfinished Business: Effective UK Anti-Money Laundering Supervision
The UK is overhauling how it oversees the legal and accountancy sectors for anti-money laundering, but making the new system work is the real test.
0104
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
'By connecting geopolitical struggles to everyday issues, Russian information operations effectively embed global politics within debates over family, sexuality, morality and culture to amplify demagoguery and polarisation.' Read our paper State Threats in Sub-Saharan Africa Through a Gender Lens.
rusi.org
State Threats in Sub-Saharan Africa Through a Gender Lens
This paper reviews how external state actors weaponise gender and identity to influence and destabilise societies in sub-Saharan Africa through various hybrid threats.
071
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
#HIRING: Project Officer – International Deployments Join RUSI’s @cfs-rusi.bsky.social to manage international workshops and capacity-building activities, working with partners and stakeholders across different professional and cultural settings. Apply by 18 September: bit.ly/4xanp4z
021
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
'Cyberspace creates opportunities for mid-tier states. Rather than attempting to replicate the capabilities of major cyber powers they can exploit the distinctive logic of cyberspace and cooperation with civilian partners.' write Dr Peter B.M.J Pijpers and Dr Jelle van Haaster in a RUSI Commentary.
rusi.org
Cyber Campaigning: Mid-Tier States Can Leverage Civilian Cyber Power
States lacking vast nuclear and conventional capabilities should team with the private sector via letters of marque and digital levée en masse.
053
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
'Heavy dependence on Chinese battery supply chains is risky not only because alternatives are limited, but because they cannot be created quickly' writes Lukas Trakimavicius, Policy Officer at NATO in the latest RUSI Commentary.
bit.ly
The Battery Gap: Building Industrial Strength for a Military Edge
Going without notice until they are not there, batteries are increasingly critical to Defence, but a steady supply is far from assured.
12413
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
'Britain has demonstrated the capacity to recognize strategic reality early and act decisively.' So said RUSI's Senior Vice President General David H. Petraeus in a speech delivered to the UK’s House of Lords entitled 'The Special Relationship in an Era of Strategic Transformation’.
rusi.org
The Special Relationship in an Era of Strategic Transformation
. . . And the Urgent Need for Sweeping Military Institutional Change. Remarks by General David H. Petraeus to the House of Lords, 1 September 2026.
1162
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Deterring state cyber activity takes more than cyber tools. Join us on 21 September for a panel discussion on what an integrated, aligned and campaigns-based approach to cyber deterrence demands of European capitals.
my.rusi.org
From Silos to Statecraft: Whole-of-Government Cyber Deterrence in Europe
Deterring state cyber activity takes more than cyber tools. A framework for combining economic, diplomatic, military and intelligence levers to constrain adversaries across domains is necessary.
064
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
'The value of adaptability is clearest as the Royal Navy balances finite forces across multiple tasks.' 'A NATO-first posture will not eliminate demands elsewhere, and deployed forces may be re-directed, extended, or re-tasked as circumstances change.' writes Lieutenant Commander John Darcy.
rusi.org
From Tailored Air Group to Tailorable Maritime Aviation
While the Royal Navy's Hybrid Air Wing is often discussed in terms of platforms and technology, its longer-term significance may be to expand the options available to maritime commanders.
0114
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
'What the Russians believe a war with NATO would look like, and I think this is a critical detail, is one in which they themselves face the risk of what they call a "massive aerospace attack".' Watch Dr Sidharth Kaushal's analysis: bit.ly/4qLLP2K
0319
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
With seven of the eight Arctic countries now in NATO, how does the security and defence cooperation between these seven look in practice? Read the latest RUSI Commentary by Dr Karsten Friis.
rusi.org
Security Cooperation Among the Arctic NATO Allies
With seven of the eight Arctic countries now in NATO, how does the security and defence cooperation between these seven look in practice?
0216
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
'The levels of innovation within the cybercrime ecosystem are often overstated. Threat actors are profit-seeking actors, like technology companies, but they are dissimilar in that they rarely pursue innovation for its own sake.' write Will Lyne and Jamie MacColl in the latest RUSI Commentary.
rusi.org
Beyond the Hype: AI, Ransomware and Business Models
AI is not (yet) fundamentally reinventing cybercrime. For bold predictions on how it will change, look to history to understand what drives criminal behaviour online.
073
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
In this special episode of Global Security Briefing, Tobias Ellwood, RUSI Distinguished Fellow and author of 'Ten Steps to Prevent World War Three', sets out why he believes we are drifting towards global conflict, and what can still be done to stop it. Listen to the episode: bit.ly/46pkYQo
The image is a promotional graphic for the "Global Security Briefing" by RUSI. It features a quote by The Rt Hon Tobias Ellwood about shaping the next order. The design includes the Global Security Briefing logo which is a globe illustration with connected lines and nodes on the left and the RUSI logo at the bottom right. The background is teal.The image is a promotional graphic for the "Global Security Briefing" by RUSI. It features a quote by The Rt Hon Tobias Ellwood about what shape a third world war would be likely to take. The design includes the Global Security Briefing logo which is a globe illustration with connected lines and nodes on the left and the RUSI logo at the bottom right. The background is teal.
0145
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
'the length of the [USS Abraham] Lincoln deployment is neither a one-off, nor is it a record. That dubious honour goes to USS Gerald R Ford which completed a 326-day deployment earlier this year.' write Dr Sidharth Kaushal and Professor Kevin Rowlands in the latest RUSI Commentary.
rusi.org
The Overstretch Facing the US Navy
The US is exceeding its own plans for deployment of aircraft carriers, and the knock-on effects, and the strain, should be a cause for concern.
02515
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
We are looking for an organised, detail-oriented early-career professional to join our Organised Crime and Policing research group. Apply by 7 September: bit.ly/4qCj48p
041
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Our latest paper by Dr Sidharth Kaushal and Sam Cranny-Evans presents a detailed account of how Russia’s precision strike capabilities have evolved, from a chaotic and under-resourced opening campaign to a more potent precision strike capability. Read the paper: bit.ly/4xlYUCj
04718
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Foreign interference threats to democratic elections are evolving at increasing speed and scale. Australia demonstrates how to build institutions capable of keeping pace. Read the latest RUSI Commentary by Eliza Lockhart, Senior Research Fellow, @cfs-rusi.bsky.social.
rusi.org
Australia’s Democratic Coordination in an Age of Foreign Interference
Foreign interference threats to democratic elections are evolving at increasing speed and scale. Australia demonstrates how to build institutions capable of keeping pace.
096
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
The US Treasury has launched 'Operation Economic Outcast' in an effort to 'isolate Iran from the global economy'. To better understand the scale of Iran's operations and networks make sure to listen to a previous episode of Suspicious Transaction Report with Kinga Redlowska and Matthew Levitt.
bit.ly
Episode 22: Iran's Long (Financial) Arm in Europe
How Iran uses proxies, shadow banking and criminal cut-outs to fund external operations and evade sanctions.
182
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
'The temptation is to see Hybrid Navy as a programme to deliver autonomous ships. That would be a profound misunderstanding.' writes Commodore (Ret’d) Steve Prest (@fightingsailor.bsky.social) in the latest RUSI Commentary.
rusi.org
Hybrid Navy: Building the Maritime Operating System
To implement the Hybrid Navy, the Royal Navy must follow the example of other successful technology transformations and build an ecosystem, not just a Fleet.
0134
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
'The MoD has many roles outside of the frontline force that could harness human potential currently being excluded by overly stringent physical and medical standards' writes Major Laurence Thomson in the latest RUSI Newsbrief.
rusi.org
People as the Principal Capability of British Defence
A whole of system approach to health and human fitness, responsive to the varying demands of military personnel, would improve force readiness across the UK’s services.
181
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
'Anyone trying to understand what the next conventional war might look like should observe developments in the AI unicorn headquarters of San Francisco and the factories of Shenzhen, not the halls of power in Washington and Moscow.' writes Andreas Urbanski in the latest RUSI Commentary.
rusi.org
The Next China Shock Will Hit Defence
If tomorrow's wars are fought mainly by machines, victory belongs to the power that can fuse AI with robotics and build the result by the million. Today, that is China.
1185