Recent Posts
News•Feb 26, 2026
The Emerging US Influence Threat to British Democracy
The United States’ 2025 National Security Strategy signals a new soft‑power push, funding MAGA‑aligned think tanks in the UK and Europe while tech oligarchs pour record sums into political campaigns. By the end of 2025, US‑backed donors contributed $429 million to the 2026 mid‑term elections and Elon Musk was reported to have offered $100 million to Reform UK. These moves coincide with U.S. pressure on the UK’s Online Safety Act and a proposed British bill to future‑proof democracy against foreign interference. Policymakers are urged to tighten political‑finance rules and disclosure requirements before the threat eclipses traditional Russian meddling.
By RUSI
News•Feb 25, 2026
Middle Powers Must Win the AI Deployment Race
The article argues that middle powers such as the UK and Canada should abandon the race to build ever‑larger AI models and instead concentrate on a "deployment race"—embedding near‑state‑of‑the‑art AI into industry and defence. It proposes a UK‑Canada Partnership on...
By RUSI
News•Feb 24, 2026
Should Europe Start Talking to Russia?
Europe wrestles with whether to engage Russia as the Ukraine war stalls, recognizing that Putin’s aim of reshaping European security leaves little room for a genuine settlement while he remains in power. A cease‑fire that does not protect Ukraine’s sovereignty...
By RUSI
News•Feb 19, 2026
Control, Alt, Influence: The Potential for US Cyber Operations in Iran
U.S. policymakers are weighing offensive cyber operations against Iran if diplomatic talks on the nuclear program collapse, positioning cyber as a central element of joint military action rather than a peripheral tool. Recent Senate testimony and statements from US Cyber...
By RUSI
News•Feb 13, 2026
How Russia Turns Gamers Into Fighters
Russia is actively weaponising video games to recruit foreign fighters and conduct cognitive warfare. Recent Bloomberg reporting details how Russian recruiters used milsim games like Arma 3 and Discord to lure two South African men, who later fought and died in...
By RUSI
News•Feb 12, 2026
Police.AI - New Tech Tools for UK Law Enforcement
The UK Home Office has launched Police.AI, a national centre to centralise AI procurement, policy and deployment across policing agencies. Early rollout includes 40 additional live facial‑recognition vans and a suite of tools such as deep‑fake detection and predictive analytics....
By RUSI
News•Feb 9, 2026
The UK Whole of Society Defence and the Reality of Modern War
The article argues that Britain must move from a whole‑of‑government to a whole‑of‑society defence model, redefining the citizen‑soldier for 21st‑century threats. It highlights the armed forces’ high public trust but notes a widening civil‑military gap, with only about 7% of...
By RUSI
News•Feb 5, 2026
New START Expiry: Implications for Europe
On 5 February 2026 the New START treaty – the last formal US‑Russia strategic arms‑control pact – expired, ending quantitative limits on deployed strategic warheads and launchers. While a tentative “handshake” deal may keep the limits informally in place, the treaty’s collapse...
By RUSI
News•Feb 4, 2026
We Need to Talk About Ecosystem Collapse
The UK’s Joint Intelligence Committee quietly published a national security assessment linking global biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse to direct threats to national prosperity. The report warns that critical ecosystems could breach tipping points as early as 2030, triggering crop...
By RUSI
News•Feb 3, 2026
The Cost of UK Gas Security
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s consultation highlights the UK’s growing reliance on imported LNG as North Sea production declines, requiring costly new compressors to reverse gas flow. Rare‑scenario modelling shows a potential £1 billion‑per‑day economic hit if the...
By RUSI
News•Feb 2, 2026
Tech Dependencies Undermine UK National Security
The UK’s push to curb illegal deep‑fake content on X exposed a broader vulnerability: dependence on US‑based platforms for national‑security enforcement. Recent clashes with Elon Musk and a fine against Cloudflare illustrate how American firms can resist or complicate European...
By RUSI