Defence Strategy, Policy and Capabilities

Providing clients with the tools and knowledge to develop their defence capabilities across a range of functional areas, including strategy development, capability planning and workforce management

Research, commentary, and events

  • EU flag in front of Berlaymont building facade, photo by Andrey Kuzmin/Adobe Stock.

    Project

    Study on the factors influencing the uptake of EU-Funded Security Research Outcomes

    RAND Europe researchers identified hindering and enabling factors for EU security innovation uptake.

    26 Jul 2023

  • Finland's flag is raised at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, April 4, 2023, photo by EyePress News/Reuters

    Commentary

    Finland Joins NATO, Sweden's Accession Remains Uncertain

    Finland is at long last joining NATO, having applied together with Sweden last year in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finland's accession represents a boon to NATO, a radical change in Finnish foreign and security policy, and another unplanned setback for Russia.

    04 Apr 2023

  • A pair of Ukrainian Su-25 jet fighters fly low near the town of Kramatorsk, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, June 24, 2022, photo by Marko Djurica/Reuters

    Commentary

    Deciding Whether to Send Fighter Jets to Ukraine

    Supplying military equipment to another country's forces can be far from straightforward. The logistical, operational, and technical considerations are immensely complex, and any offer made by NATO allies to Ukraine might best come with a credible plan for deployment and effect—not just a cheque that cannot be cashed.

    24 Feb 2023

  • UH-1Y Venoms from USS Essex lands on HMS Queen Elizabeth, photo by LPhot Unaisi Luke/UK MOD OGL (Open Government License).

    Commentary

    Realising the promise of the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy

    Drawing on a body of RAND research on the UK defence industrial base, R&D and technology, researchers reflect on areas of emerging challenges to implementing the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS) published in March 2021.

    28 Nov 2022

  • Quantum computer, Photo by Bartek Wroblewski/Adobe Stock

    Commentary

    Science and technology as a tool of power: An appraisal

    In the 2021 Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, the UK Government expressed an ambition to use science and technology (S&T) as a tool of power and an integral part of its national security strategy. Researchers highlight the critical enablers for a successful realisation of this ambition, including conceptual, practical and financial levers.

    28 Nov 2022

  • RAF troops during the Changing of the Guard ceremony on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, London Britain February 1, 2022 , photo by Dominic Lipinski/Pool via Reuters

    Commentary

    Removing Barriers to Diversity and Inclusion in the Military

    Efforts to improve representation and remove barriers for personnel with protected characteristics are seen as essential steps for modern militaries, but have not gone without controversy. The UK Armed Forces could take a more-strategic approach to leveraging diversity to elevate it as a strategic enabler of military fighting power in the contemporary threat environment.

    29 Aug 2022

  • Military personnel meeting in computing facility, photo by Gorodenkoff Productions OU/Adobe Stock

    Project

    Creating operational advantage through military diversity

    Advances in technology have made warfighting more complex and the range of skills required more diverse. Researchers examined how increasing workforce diversity may create strategic opportunities for military organisations.

    24 Aug 2022

  • Chinese flag in background of outlines of sun power, wind generators, atomic and coal power plants, and electric lines on poles. Photo by Photo by Dancing Man/AdobeStock

    Project

    Exploring the security implications of a Chinese developed and governed transcontinental power grid

    Researchers from RAND Europe and RAND Corporation will assess global security risks stemming from a potential Chinese developed and governed Global Energy Interconnection that would directly connect renewable producers to consumers around the globe.

    21 Jul 2022

  • 3-D rendering of a black swan among white swans, image by Andreas Prott/Adobe Stock

    Project

    Securing future defence supply chains against Black Swan disruptions

    Supply chains are highly vulnerable to events that are unexpected and difficult to plan for but may have far-reaching and catastrophic consequences. Researchers will explore how to design resilient defence supply chains that are secure from these 'Black Swan' events.

    21 Jul 2022

  • European Union flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, April 10, 2019, photo by Yves Herman/Reuters

    Commentary

    Rethinking the EU's Role in European Collective Defence

    Russia's invasion of Ukraine is forcing European nations to quickly re-evaluate how best to maintain their collective security. This makes the concept of European strategic autonomy—the EU's increased ability to operate independently and with partners of choice on defence and security matters—more relevant than ever.

    20 May 2022

  • British troops remembering the fallen in Afghanistan, photo by Corporal Andrew Morris (RAF)/Crown Copyright

    Project

    Understanding the lived experience of non-UK veterans

    To help the UK Office for Veterans’ Affairs develop policies that support former Service personnel who come from outside of the UK, researchers are interviewing members of the community to understand their needs and experiences.

    15 Apr 2022

  • 30 Cdo RN, 30 Commando Royal Marines, Viking Squadron, Commando Logistic Regiment, Arctic, Armoured Support Group Royal Marines, Bardufoss, CETUS 20, Ex Cold Response, Norway, Personnel Carrier, Royal Marine Exercise, Royal Marine Unit, Snow and Ice Training, Viking, Weather, Climate, Snow, Snowing, Snowy, Cold, Freezing, Ice, Icy, Terrain, Environment, Landscape, Scenery, Wooded, Woods, Forest, International Training, Survival Training, Cold Weather Training, Arctic Survival Training, Action, Driving, Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Personnel, Non-Identifiable, Unit, 3 Commando Brigade, 3 Cdo Bde RM, Equipment, Vehicles, Viking (BvS10), Armoured Personnel Vehicle

    Project

    UK strategy for the High North: Navigating a changing environment

    Researchers offer a perspective on how the UK could maximise its influence in the High North through enhanced cooperation across government and within multilateral fora in order to tackle environmental and geopolitical changes in the region.

    02 Feb 2022

  • 24 Commando Royal Engineers delivering ice survey training to members of the U.S. Marine Corps during Winter Deployment 21 in the Arctic, February 24, 2021, photo by UK MOD/© Crown copyright 2021

    Commentary

    A United Strategy Could Reap Rewards for the United Kingdom in the High North

    The multifaceted nature of Arctic policies, stretching from climate security and scientific cooperation to economic development and conflict mitigation, may require a whole-of-government approach from the United Kingdom. Such an approach could be necessary for the United Kingdom to appear a credible partner to Arctic countries and other third parties.

    02 Feb 2022

  • Project

    How do the UK's potential adversaries approach multi-domain integration in defence?

    To influence the development of the UK’s approach to multi-domain integration, a series of case studies explored Russia, China, Iran and North Korea’s approaches to integrating activities across maritime, land, air, space, cyber and electromagnetic warfare, as well as across government and with external allies, partners and industry.

    20 Jan 2022

  • A serviceman accesses social media channels, using a desktop computer, photo by by Harland Quarrington/OGL

    Project

    Integrating channels of communication to achieve influence

    Researchers are identifying strategies, approaches, methods and tools that UK Defence can implement to design multi-channel influence campaigns aimed at overseas audiences, comprising both online and offline forms of communication, and developing ways to monitor and measure the campaigns' effectiveness..

    05 Jan 2022

  • A large European Union flag lies at the centre of Schuman Square outside European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, May 8, 2021.

    Multimedia

    European Strategic Autonomy in Defence

    What does European strategic autonomy in defence mean for the EU, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and EU-U.S. relations? In this Expert Insights podcast, researchers discuss the path towards greater EU defence integration and factors that affect how this autonomy develops going forward.

    09 Nov 2021

  • Report

    European strategic autonomy in defence and implications for NATO, U.S., and EU relations

    Researchers examined the meaning of European strategic autonomy in defence and its implications for the U.S., NATO and EU-U.S. relations using a scenario methodology and transatlantic expert consultation.

    09 Nov 2021

  • RAF Chinook and soldiers from 2nd Batallion The Duke of Lancaster Regiment at a vulnerable river bank working with the Environmental Agency to prevent flooding, photo by SSgt Mark Nesbit RLC/Open Government Licence

    Project

    How UK Defence could support societal resilience to crisis events

    Researchers developed a conceptual framework that includes three phases of societal resilience: Prepare, Respond and Recover. The team identified a set of proposals to help UK Defence improve how it conceptualises and operationalises societal resilience.

    21 Oct 2021

  • Two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft, assigned to the 421st Fighter Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, right, fly in formation with two Finnish F-18 Hornets, left, while en route to Turku, Finland, June 13, 2019, photo by Airman 1st Class Jovante Johnson

    Report

    Enhancing U.S.-Finnish and regional defence cooperation

    An independent perspective on Finland's defence posture concludes that U.S.-Finnish defence cooperation can and should proceed at a slow yet steady pace, building on existing foundations and raising the level of ambition as political and resource constraints permit.

    24 Sep 2021

  • Close up picture of people sitting in a circle, photo by zinkevych/Adobe Stock

    Project

    Helping local authorities to support members of the armed forces community

    The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust’s Strengthening Delivery Programme had a positive impact, and local authorities that received grants to implement and improve service delivery viewed the funding as essential to the gains achieved. Researchers will now evaluate the continuation programme.

    01 Sep 2021