RUSI Newsbrief

The significant implications of the Government ambition for the UK’s defence industry to be ‘always on’.

From the June 2025 war onwards, the Iranian armed forces have adapted, struggled and adapted again to fight US and Israeli military might.

While Vladimir Putin views Russia as a great power and civilizational counterweight to Western liberalism, he does not have a coherent plan to remake the world, let alone the capacity to do so. Because of this weakness, the Kremlin is focused not on domination, but on disruption.

The Iran ceasefire has exposed the limits of American power, as the United States was forced to rely on others to contain a crisis of its own making. It offers a glimpse of a possible future in which the countries of the Global South have both the will and the means to navigate crises on their own terms.

Where is the ‘rally ‘round the flag’ effect without nationalism?

The British public overwhelmingly support their military and claim to understand defence, but they fundamentally misapprehend its state of readiness and capability to meet the realities of modern war.

The hybrid Navy offers an excellent opportunity to promote Prototype Warfare, accelerating the pathway between experimental technology and operator capability.

The failure of the Constellation Class underlines problems in US Navy procurement that will have detrimental operational and strategic consequences.

Despite rising military spending, the European Union’s defence capabilities remain constrained by fragmented procurement, uneven national budgets and weak coordination. Bolstering resilience and reducing dependence on the United States will require mobilising resources at the European level.

The paradigm shifting influence of drones in warfare has led to new initiatives in defence, and stirred proposals for a European 'drone wall', a concept that appeals to the success of successful multi-layered air defence systems elsewhere.