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While the Hashemite Kingdom has long managed to avoid the instability that has gripped many of its neighbours, the current crisis in the Middle East is presenting it with mounting challenges that it will need international support to overcome.

As the Royal Navy proceeds with its recapitalisation programme, what lessons can it draw regarding future threats from the conflicts in the Red Sea and Black Sea?

With the 2024 NATO Washington summit now concluded, the UK must address the significant threat posed by AI and disinformation to global security.

As the US prepares to choose between two radically different pathways, the message for UK policymakers is clear: Europe matters.

With the next round of country assessments starting, the new FATF President has a lot of work to do over the next two years.

Despite the consistent inclusion of pandemic risks in recent national security documents, the UK's response to Covid-19 fell short, highlighting the challenge of translating strategic plans into real-world action.

Russian intelligence services have now adapted their thinking about how to optimally integrate cyber and conventional capabilities.

The new UK government must act for a genuine and sustainable peace settlement in Israel–Palestine to be possible.

In recent years, China has stepped up its contribution to UN peacekeeping operations, particularly in countries where doing so aligns with its strategic interests. The US must take action to reassert its leadership role in this space, not just to check Beijing’s growing influence, but to demonstrate that it is fully invested in bringing peace, security and stability to challenged regions.

The language and culture around risk differ dramatically between defence and healthcare, and this may limit the UK’s ability to operate effectively. It may also lead to a focus on the wrong risks.

While the recently signed agreement between Russia and North Korea has sparked concern in the West, the reality is that cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang on sensitive technologies is not new – it is merely coming out into the open.

As discussions loom on expanding AUKUS’s Pillar 2 to include additional close US allies in the region, strong leadership and a clear vision are critical for building a more cohesive and resilient alliance structure in the Indo-Pacific.

France is stepping into uncharted territory as a deeply divided National Assembly embarks on negotiations to form a coalition government. This political instability will reduce President Macron’s influence on domestic policy and capacity to provide leadership in Europe and beyond.

Pressure on Western banks to implement sanctions against Russia threatens a schism in the international financial system. Developing countries will suffer.

Political challenges among NATO members, the spectre of a second Trump presidency, and a bleaker military situation in Ukraine – compared to the expectations at the 2023 Vilnius Summit for the Ukrainian counteroffensive – made Washington feel like a ‘pre-storm summit’.

The growth of an overly burdensome safety regime is restricting opportunities for the British Army to train at scale. This poses risks of higher casualties and reduced capability if it is called on to fight a war, and of reducing safety through undermining confidence.

With this week’s NATO summit, the perennial question of Ukraine’s future membership will again be raised and left unresolved. However, Ukraine joining NATO at the conclusion of the Russo-Ukrainian War is also in Russia’s interests, although it may not yet realise or acknowledge this reality.

With mounting threats to European security, simple tests can determine the new UK administration’s seriousness on defence.

Handling the challenges posed by China will require a cross-party agreement in the UK. Here are some suggestions for how this could be done comprehensively.

Post-Brexit UK–EU security cooperation has grown since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Practical cooperation on sanctions and support for Ukraine has opened other possible avenues for collaboration. The new Labour government wants an ambitious structural alignment with the EU, but it is uncertain exactly what it could achieve.