RUSI

Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies.

Bluesky:

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

To delve deeper into the questions of who should have access to frontier AI models, under what conditions, and how access can be governed securely and in an accountable manner, read RUSI's recent research paper by @LouMarieHSD, Elijah Glantz and Daniel Cuthbert.
https://t.co/H7TSfpyM1n

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

'Since the release of Mythos and the promotion around Project Glasswing, we have seen a more widely publicised expression of a growing pattern in the AI industry, that is, the gatekeeping of model releases under the premise of security concerns.' writes @LouMarieHSD in the latest #RUSICommentary. https://t.co/QXsdGU8eu1

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

'Britain needs something closer to 4.2% of GDP on core defence by the mid-2030s if it actually intends to field the land, maritime and air forces implied by its own strategy' writes Nicolas Groffman, Richard Hewitt and Richard Stephens in the latest member exclusive RUSI Newsbrief. https://t.co/0rQt5P3ENs

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

With Colombia’s presidential run-off taking place this Sunday 21 June, our new paper says that whoever wins will inherit an organised crime and security crisis neither Bogotá nor Quito can resolve alone and that the window for decisive coordinated action is closing fast.

As much as 80% of cocaine reaching Europe is estimated to have originated from an Ecuadorian port. Cocaine seizures at Ecuadorian ports rose by 4,817% – from 6 tonnes to 295 tonnes – between 2019-2024. In 2025 Ecuador recorded its most violent year ever, with a murder rate of 51 per 100,000 inhabitants – among the highest in the region.

The paper shows how the 2016 FARC peace agreement, intended to end decades of Colombian conflict, created a power vacuum that rival armed factions rushed to fill, competing for control of coca-producing territory and trafficking routes into Ecuador. It says that reactive militarised responses on both sides of the border have failed to produce lasting results.

Deep ideological differences between the two governments – brought to a head in early 2026 by a damaging tit-for-tat trade war – have damaged bilateral security cooperation which is currently wholly inadequate to deal with the scale of the crisis.

Read the paper by Jennifer Scotland, @CSolar and Elijah Glantz: https://t.co/MjYSzbnBRc

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

'Around 1.4 billion people worldwide still lack access to basic financial services, leaving them excluded from the formal economy.'

In her latest paper @avabbasova, Research Analyst, @CFS_RUSI says FATF and national governments should treat access and usage of financial services as a core part of the fight against dirty money, not an afterthought, so that protecting the financial system does not come at the expense of the world’s poorest. https://t.co/XlqZCfpcN6

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

The US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding may ease immediate pressure on energy markets, but by deferring the hardest questions, it risks entrenching crisis rather than ending it.

Read the latest #RUSICommentary by @BurcuAOzcelik.
https://t.co/V7WrQSFG3R

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

'Early indications from the UK action are clear: sanctions can be effective when they target the points at which crypto activity depends on wider financial, technological and reputational infrastructure' write @keatingetom and @redlowska in their #RUSICommentary.
https://t.co/LdO8cJfCOk

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

'It's protection racket framing that undermines NATO solidarity, trust in the US commitment to NATO, and, ultimately, US security interests.'

Read for more insights by @rach_ellehuus, Director-General, @RUSI_org: https://t.co/LeVWxaRCQI

[BBC News (UK) @BBCNews]

Hegseth announces US review of Europe forces, says some allies will fail https://t.co/mV1X2W8IM6

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

'The Gulf states are reconsidering their strategic position. They have to deal with an Iran that looks much stronger than it did before. With allies who have shown them they can't protect them necessarily.'

Watch @DanMarks14 on @France24_en https://t.co/TbWArqjXaY

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

The new US–Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) marks a significant step in efforts to de-escalate the conflict, but many of the hardest questions remain unanswered. Our researchers have examined the agreement's implications from multiple perspectives.🧵

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

'Both the existence and vagueness of the MOU are consequences of the US and Israel’s difficulty in translating military superiority into enduring political success.'

Read for more insights by @MTSavill, Director of Military Sciences. https://t.co/WTXH1yMaPx

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

'On the nuclear question, the MOU tries to gloss over in two paragraphs what has been at the heart of negotiations with Iran for over two decades.'

Read for more insights by @DDolzikova, Senior Research Fellow, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy.
https://t.co/chETbkM9Jp

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

Poland and the UK signed the Northolt Treaty last month to deepen military cooperation, defence industrial collaboration, and regional security coordination.

Earlier today Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs @radeksikorski delivered a lecture at RUSI on how the treaty represents a vital component of Poland's efforts to strengthening its ties with like-minded partners and his strategic vision for the treaty.

RUSI Members can watch the Minister's prepared remarks in full: https://t.co/zpfpQKWn59

Visit our website for more information about the speech and the transcript: https://t.co/6RsGZzh3yO

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

'Traditional tools remain essential, but they are often too slow, too jurisdictionally constrained or too reactive to deal with the speed and flexibility of modern criminal enterprise' write @Cathy_Haenlein, @keatingetom and Kinga @Redlowska in the latest #RUSICommentary. https://t.co/2ClIUU5IO9

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

In the latest Global Security Briefing @Charles_Hecker and @nseskuria discuss what the Russian wartime economy looks like beneath the official data and its implications for regime stability.

Listen to the episode: https://t.co/MNuuV7Ogat

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

Hostile States are behind 75% of Cyber Attacks on UK Infrastructure says @NCSC Chief Executive Dr Richard Horne at RUSI’s Annual Security Lecture.

Dr Horne, warned that hostile states are increasingly targeting the systems that underpin the UK’s essential services, arguing that cyber security should not be treated simply as a risk to be managed, but as an ongoing contest with capable adversaries.

RUSI Members can watch a recording of the speech here: https://t.co/npoezjqukF

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

18 June is Waterloo Day, marking the defeat in battle in 1815 of Napoleon Bonaparte by allied forces led by the Duke of Wellington, RUSI’s founder. This year’s winner of our Duke of Wellington medal, has just been announced. Check out @KeithLoweAuthor's #Naples1944, published by @WmCollinsBooks: https://t.co/Q4FK0oHM4a

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

With unclear intention, Russia’s satellites have been placed curiously close to a commercial satellite that provides essential intelligence for the Ukrainian armed forces.

Read the latest #RUSICommentary by @JulianaSuess. https://t.co/nABJ919Jw5

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

In the latest episode of Talking Strategy @Olivier1Schmitt, Head of Research at the Institute of Military Operations at the Royal Danish Defence College, describes the systemic challenges of military transformation, given rapidly evolving technology and NATO’s distinct strategic cultures.

Listen to the episode: https://t.co/5aWiGlvKHs

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

'many young people are entering digital spaces already looking for belonging, recognition, friendship and answers. That makes them more susceptible to whatever community finds them first.' writes Claudia Wallner in the latest RUSI Commentary in light of the UK Government's recent social media ban for under-16s. https://t.co/IE5tIwhXUn