Policy area: Security & defence

Reports

Deputising UK counter-cybercrime operations

This report from UK think tank RUSI explores the potential of deputising private firms for cybercrime disruption in the UK. This paper, 'Exploring Cyber Deputisation: Enhancing UK Cyber Statecraft Against Organised Cybercrime', examines the potential of deputising private sector entities to conduct disruptive cyber operations against serious and organised cybercrime targeting the UK. Amid escalating...

Read more

Beyond the border: Upstreaming responses to serious organised crime threats

This report from UK think tank the Coalition for Global Prosperity examines the threats facing Britain from serious and organised crime and how we can tackle it. A timely new report from the Coalition for Global Prosperity, authored by Senior Researcher Zoe Swanwick and introduced by Richard Baker, Member of Parliament for Glenrothes and Mid...

Read more

Terrorist financing in the age of large language models

This report from UK think tank RUSI examines how advances in AI and LLMs could be exploited to support terrorist financing activity. This research briefing by Jason Blazakis examines how advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) could be exploited to support terrorist financing activity. The report argues that LLMs could act...

Read more

Fighting organised crime: Recovering illicit assets in Chile

This report from UK think tank RUSI offers actionable recommendations to enhance Chile's institutional resilience. This paper highlights the critical need for Chile to strengthen its asset-recovery frameworks to combat the growing threat of organised crime and money laundering. It provides an in-depth analysis of the structural challenges hindering Chile's ability to trace, seize and...

Read more

Air manoeuvre forces in European large-scale combat operations

This report from UK think tank RUSI examines how European armies can best prepare air manoeuvre forces to maximise their effectiveness. The density and complexity of the emerging battlefield is making it harder for military units to manoeuvre. Air Manoeuvre - the movement of troops by air for advantage - offers a means of rapidly...

Read more

Rebooting the UK’s cyber strategy

This report from UK think tank RUSI outlines six key priorities for the upcoming National Cyber Action Plan. This paper highlights the urgent need to revamp the UK's cyber strategy to address systemic vulnerabilities that threaten national security and economic growth. With cyber attacks costing UK businesses billions annually and high-profile incidents such as the...

Read more

Nuclear deterrence in shifting Euro-Atlantic security architecture

This report from UK think tank RUSI highlights the critical importance of maintaining credible deterrence to prevent escalation and safeguard European security. This paper explores the evolving role of nuclear deterrence in Euro-Atlantic security amidst challenges such as Russian aggression, US disengagement, and growing Chinese assertiveness. It highlights the critical importance of maintaining credible deterrence...

Read more

Prototype warfare in the maritime domain: Opportunities and approaches

This report from UK think tank RUSI explores the transformative concept of prototype warfare in the maritime domain. This research paper discusses the concept of maritime prototype warfare, emphasising its potential to address the Royal Navy’s strategic challenge of managing increasing demands with limited resources. By advocating for operational and commercial innovation, a shift in...

Read more

Understanding the UK’s transition to warfighting readiness

This report from UK think tank Civitas resets the narrative by setting out the imperative for moving to warfighting readiness. This report argues that the West now faces a truly existential threat from a loose but strengthening alliance of autocracies which the war in Ukraine has exposed. This is an urgent and drastic threat which...

Read more

Transforming Belarus from a Russian asset to a buffer state for European security

This report from UK think tank Chatham House explores how the West should engage with Minsk. Western discussions of Belarus’s role in regional security have largely considered Minsk as part of broader approaches towards Moscow, rather than as a policy strand in its own right. However, in 2025, the US under President Donald Trump disrupted...

Read more

Responding to Russian sabotage financing

This report from UK think tank RUSI discusses how public and private sectors can leverage finance to address the sabotage challenge. Europe faces a rising threat from sabotage that leverages social media, cryptocurrencies and a supply of disposable agents who are willing to take on a range of disruptive tasks in return for payment. While...

Read more

Peace with teeth: What Britain and France’s troop commitment means for Ukraine

This report from UK think tank ECFR looks at the first step to France and Britain providing robust security guarantees to Ukraine. Britain and France have committed to deploying their armies on the ground in Ukraine. This is one step towards providing the robust security guarantees the country needs to deter future Russian aggression.

Read more

The evolution of Russian and Chinese air power threats

This report from UK think tank RUSI discusses the evolution of Russian and Chinese air power threats. This Insights Paper demonstrates that in 2025, Chinese air power in particular poses a fundamentally different level of threat to traditional US dominance in the air domain than it did in 2020. Russian air power has evolved in...

Read more

Properly protected

This report from UK think tank Bright Blue analyses the relationship between the asylum and modern slavery systems before proposing new policies to lessen modern slavery cases. ‘Modern slavery’ is a hidden but pervasive crime that disproportionately affects vulnerable people, especially asylum seekers, who become trapped in cycles of coercion and abuse. While exact numbers...

Read more

The future of the Euro-Atlantic security architecture

This report from UK think tank RUSI highlights the need for Europe to reshape its security framework to address emerging threats and ensure long-term stability. This paper highlights the urgent need for Europe to reshape its security framework to address emerging threats and ensure long-term stability and strategic advantage against the most significant challenges to...

Read more