The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI, Rusi), registered as Royal United Service Institute for Defence and Security Studies and formerly the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies, is a British defence and security

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

. It was founded in 1831 by the Duke of Wellington, Sir Arthur Wellesley. The current President of RUSI is the

Duke of Kent Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of peerage of Great Britain, Great Britain and the peerage of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom, most recently as a Royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom, royal dukedom ...

and its Director-General is

Karin von Hippel Karin Lisa von Hippel (born February 1965) is the current Director-General of the Royal United Services Institute. Hippel was Chief of Staff to General John R. Allen while he was Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter-ISIL ...

History

RUSI was founded in 1831 – making it the oldest defence and security think tank in the world – at the initiative of the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

. Its original mission was to study naval and military science. The Duke of Wellington spearheaded the establishment of RUSI in a letter to ''Colbourn's United Service Journal'' arguing that "a United Service Museum" should be formed, managed entirely by naval and military officers, and under patronage of the monarch, then

King George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

, and the commanders-in-chief of the armed forces. Such an institution would prove that the two professions have entered the lists of science, and are ready to contend for honours ''tam Artibus quam Armis'' – 'as much through the arts as through weapons'. Subsequently, Commander Henry Downes, Royal Navy, assembled a group with a view to forming a committee for action, to which King George's First ADC was commanded to convey "His Majesty's gracious and high approbation of the undertaking and of the principles on which it is proposed to conduct it", which were stated to be suitable for "a strictly scientific and professional society, and not a club". The death of the King delayed matters, but the

Duke of Clarence Duke of Clarence is a substantive title which has been traditionally awarded to junior members of the British Royal Family. All three creations were in the Peerage of England. The title was first granted to Lionel of Antwerp, the second son ...

expressed his readiness to become a patron so, encouraged by the powerful support of the Duke of Wellington, the First Aide-de-camp, Sir Herbert Taylor, re-submitted the project to

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

(the former Duke of Clarence), and was able to assure the committee that "it could proceed under his Majesty's gracious auspices". On 25 June 1831 the committee met. The chair was taken by Major General Sir Howard Douglas, in his person a symbol of the "United Service": a soldier who was the leading expert on naval gunnery. The resolution that the institution be established was put by the future Field Marshal

Viscount Hardinge Viscount Hardinge, of Lahore and of Kings Newton in the Derbyshire, County of Derby, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1846 for the soldier and Tory politician Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge, Sir Henry Hardi ...

and seconded by the future Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, the famous hydrographer. The first name adopted was the Naval and Military Museum: this was altered in 1839 to the United Service Institution, and in 1860 to the Royal United Service Institution by a

royal charter of incorporation A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but s ...

. In 2004 the name was changed to the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies. Fellows of RUSI may use the five-letter post-nominal abbreviation, FRUSI.

Premises

Prior to moving into its current purpose-built headquarters in 1895, RUSI began its existence in Whitehall Court, then moved to a house in what was then known as Middle

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

in 1832. Queen Victoria granted RUSI the use of the

Banqueting House In English architecture, mainly from the Tudor period onwards, a banqueting house is a separate pavilion-like building reached through the gardens from the main residence, whose use is purely for entertaining, especially eating. Or it may be buil ...

, in

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It is the main ...

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

. It finally moved to its current location next door to the Banqueting House in 1895.

Activities

RUSI is a British institution; however, it operates with an international perspective. It promotes the study and discussion of developments in military doctrine, defence management and defence procurement. In the 21st century RUSI has broadened its remit to include all issues of defence and security, including financial and organised crime, terrorism and the ideologies which foster it and the challenges from other man-made or man-assisted threats and from natural disasters. RUSI has a membership consisting of military officers, diplomats and the wider policy community, numbering 1,668 individuals and 129 corporate members (see the last page of the latest Review). RUSI members and the wider defence and security community have access to the following activities:

Research

According to its website, RUSI "maintains a wide range of multidisciplinary research specialisms. It focuses on the areas of Military Sciences, International Security Studies, Terrorism and Conflict, Cyber, Nuclear Proliferation, Financial Crime and Organised Crime". In April 2020, RUSI released a report urging the UK's intelligence agencies to step up their use of artificial intelligence in order to “keep pace” with adversaries who seek to exploit new technologies to attack Britain.

Analysis

Royal United Services Institute (16586082400)

RUSI experts are often called upon to provide analysis and commentary on the leading defence and security issues of the day. In addition, RUSI.org hosts timely analysis on the defence and security issues of the day. Content is drawn from its publications and briefings from its researchers.

Events

RUSI organises a number of lectures, seminars and conferences for its membership and the wider defence and international security community. Its location in Whitehall means that is able to attract leading statesmen and policymakers.

Publications

RUSI publishes a number of periodicals and books. Its flagship publication is the ''

RUSI Journal The ''RUSI Journal'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering international security and defence strategy. It was established in 1857 as the ''Royal United Services Institution Journal'', obtaining its current title in 1972. The journal is pu ...

''.

Recognition

In 2008 and 2020, RUSI was named Think Tank of the Year by '' Prospect'' magazine. In 2008 and 2011 the magazine named RUSI "Foreign Policy Think Tank of the Year", and in 2018, RUSI was short-listed in the Economic and Financial as well as the International Affairs categories.

Governance

RUSI gets its funding from individual members as well as corporate members, which includes major corporations from numerous countries. RUSI is governed by a council comprising vice-presidents, trustees and an advisory Council. Members serve for a three-year term. ; President:

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

the

; Chairman: Sir

David Lidington Sir David Roy Lidington (born 30 June 1956) is a British politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aylesbury from 1992 until 2019. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister fo ...

; Senior Vice President: General

David Petraeus David Howell Petraeus (; born November 7, 1952) is a retired United States Army general and public official. He served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from September 6, 2011, until his resignation on November 9, 2012. Prior to h ...

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. Rtd. ; Vice Chairman: Sir John Scarlett ; Director-General:

; Deputy Director-General: Professor Malcolm Chalmers

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1831 establishments in the United Kingdom Foreign policy and strategy think tanks based in the United Kingdom Grade II* listed buildings in the City of Westminster International security Military education and training in the United Kingdom Organisations based in London Organizations established in 1831 Political and economic think tanks based in the United Kingdom Security studies Think tanks based in the United Kingdom