RUSI Analysis Podcasts

The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies and The Art Fund, Britain’s leading art charity, held a reception and debate on the topic of “Commemorating our Armed Forces: Remembrance in a Modern Society”.

Set against the backdrop of the Wootton Bassett phenomenon, a high-profile panel of speakers will came together to discuss our country’s historical approach to remembrance, and whether there is more we could be doing to honour those British servicemen and women who have died in armed conflicts.

Chaired by Channel 4 television presenter, Jon Snow, the debate heard contributions from:

A lecture by Bill Rammell MP, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, UK.

Defence is acting to reflect the values of modern society in the way it does business. In his lecture, Bill Rammell addressed the issue of how the UK's Armed Forces can adapt to changes in society and meet the needs of service personnel and their families while maintaining ethos, spirit and effectiveness.

A lecture by Dr Liam Fox MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence and Conservative Member of Parliament for Woodspring.

In his lecture, Dr Fox addressed the challenges the next government is likely to confront while attempting to carry out a Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR). He discussed the strategic thinking on which the foundation of a future Conservative government review will be based, the structure of the review and specifically how the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will carry out its role in the SDSR process to best prepare the MoD for the challenges of the Twenty-first Century.

A lecture by the Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth MP, Secretary of State for Defence.

Bob Ainsworth discussed the progress being made in Afghanistan, addressing issues of operational welfare and support to troops on operations. He also set out the government’s commitment to Armed Forces personnel in general, including mapping out the implementation of the Service Personnel Command Paper published last year.

A lecture by Sir Bill Jeffrey KCB, Permanent Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence, UK.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has recently published a Strategy for Defence. This strategy, focused on the period to 2014, maps out the path to the Defence Review which will take place after the General Election. The immediate goals are clear, even before we undertake a review; we have to succeed in Afghanistan, and any other contingent operations we are asked to undertake in the years ahead; we need to continue to meet our standing tasks against direct threats to the UK and overseas territories, including provision of the UK's independent nuclear deterrent. 

Sir Bill Jeffrey detailed the crucial role that people across defence, both military and civilian, play in tackling these challenges.

This new site also marks the launch of RUSI Analysis. This updated online forum will host incisive commentary from experts around the world.

The update to RUSI.org aims to enhance the way RUSI responds to and shapes the global agenda.

NATO must become an 'actor in a global world' able to outwit agile enemies and communicate its message to the public, the alliance's newly appointed Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (SACEUR) argued in a keynote speech at the Royal United Services Institute.

Admiral James Stavridis said that NATO must become 'lean, fast and precise' in order to meet an expanded range of threats in the twenty-first century, as it prepares a new Strategic Concept.

In particular, Admiral Stavridis warned that the North Atlantic alliance faced new priorities in cybersecurity and counter-terrorism, and a new area of operations in the High North with the thaw of the Arctic ice.