Director of Military Sciences at the Royal United Services Institute @RUSI_org; recovering former civil servant; all views expressed here are my own.
Joined February 2024
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Part of the reason we could go ‘ten times faster’ was because we were prepared to pay over the odds, and in some cases had no support plan or need for consistency across the force. We should take lessons for cutting bureaucracy, but not all of TF Kindred’s approach carries over.
The Army has done a lot through RAPSTONE, taking lessons from KINDRED, but even here it isn’t responsible for *all* Army acquisition.
questions-statements.parliam…
Matthew Savill retweeted
‘The time to act on this is now. We must act quickly and we must be bold.’
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth (@ChiefofAirStaff) delivered the 2026 Lord Trenchard Memorial Lecture at RUSI, calling for the RAF to harness new technologies to rapidly develop its combat capabilities.
RUSI members can watch the full recording on our website: bit.ly/4yOCZ6L
Good to see this year's @RUSI_org Trenchard Lecture with @HarvSmyth, chaired by @Justin_Br0nk, creating debate and some headlines.
theguardian.com/uk-news/2026…
Good to have some context from @TheIFS team ahead of the budget.
How should the UK pay for higher defence spending?
The Chancellor must decide whether to commit to 3% of GDP on defence by 2030. Reaching it would need around £11 billion more in 2030–31 than holding spending at 2.7%.
In a new #RUSICommentary, @beeboileau and Max Warner (@TheIFS) look at the three ways to fund it: cutting spending elsewhere, raising taxes or borrowing more. All three look challenging.
“Beyond this Budget, higher defence spending will continue to reshape the British state.”
rusi.org/explore-our-researc…
*If* true, the Royal Navy would temporarily cease to be an expeditionary force. We should be deploying a frigate near home waters, while deploying the carrier strike group should involve at least one, if not two frigates, as well as an air defence destroyer.
🚨 ROYAL Navy is on track to have just ONE working ASW frigate available for ops next year.
They need 13
They have 5
2 could be ruled “unseaworthy” in months as per @NavyLookout
That leaves 3, all over 24 yrs old
1 on ops
1 in work up
1 in maintenance
thesun.co.uk/news/40806181/n…
But at the moment, hull numbers appear to be dropping faster than the new capabilities are coming online (especially when you factor in attack submarine availability and RFA issues). All in all, a depressing picture, which has been some years coming, and fairly obviously so.
Some travel with the team this week; gives me an opportunity to catch up on some much-needed reading!
Matthew Savill retweeted
Earlier this week, RUSI hosted The Iran Crisis Stocktake: Who Can Sustain the Pressure?
The US–Iran ceasefire has collapsed, there is no clear path back to the MoU signed this summer, and both sides claim control of the Strait of Hormuz—all amid speculation about a third round of hostilities.
I was joined by an excellent panel of experts: Ali Ansari (@aa51_ansari), Mohammed Al-Basha (@BashaReport and Jonathan Hackett (@jonathanhackett).
Watch the full event on the RUSI website:
rusi.org/members-event-recor…
As tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf continue to escalate, RUSI’s briefing on the Iran Crisis Stocktake offers essential context on where this conflict stands and where it’s heading.
RUSI members can access the full recording here: bit.ly/3VXlG5E
Great to see this out and a useful primer given all the current coverage of Russian subversion and political warfare (not ‘hybrid warfare!’).
To Subvert the State: The Ecosystem of Russian Active Measures - Oleksandr Danylyuk and I have just published a book through @RUSI_org on the forms and methods used by the Russian Special Services to manipulate politics abroad: routledge.com/To-Subvert-the…
Matthew Savill retweeted
🌍In the years after the Cold War, it was widely assumed that great powers had moved beyond geopolitics.
Professor Scott Smitson examines why that assumption proved premature in the latest episode of #TalkingStrategy: bit.ly/3Ucdu0C
Final preparations done and the hall is set up for the 2026 RUSI Military Technology Conference. Hopefully we will see many of you there today. If not: you are missing out!
my.rusi.org/events/rusi-mili…
#MilTech26
A great series from @triclassified covering the awful consequences of Philby's actions, as well as the sometimes farcical nature of the whole affair.
He's back. MI6's greatest traitor returns to @triclassified podcast as we finish the story of Kim Philby. We pick up with him in Washington as liaison to the new CIA. Episode 1 includes possibly the worst dinner party in history when old friend Guy Burgess drops by......
Matthew Savill retweeted
Russian Military Satellite Stalks Ukraine-Linked Spy Satellite in Orbit, Closing In to Just 5 Km
united24media.com/war-in-ukr…
Matthew Savill retweeted
👀 Interesting new Instagram post by "C", Blaise Metreweli, asking for tech professionals to join SIS/MI6
🔗 instagram.com/reel/Dejx7Azg3…
Matthew Savill retweeted
RUSI was pleased to partner with @CSIS and @UKinUSA yesterday for a conversation with UK Defence Secretary @wesstreeting (@DefenceHQ) on the future of US-UK defence cooperation.
As Europe rearms and transatlantic burden-sharing evolves, the discussion examined how London and Washington can keep deterrence credible.
You can watch the full recording here: bit.ly/4zuUmKk
