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:

• Former UK Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt GCB CBE MC
• Director General of the Imperial War Museum, Diane Lees
• Director-General of the Royal British Legion, Chris Simpkin
• Artist and Professor of Fine Art at Sheffield Hallam University, David Cotterrell

An address by The Rt Hon William Hague MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary and Senior Member of the Shadow Cabinet.

As the date of the General Election approaches and the electoral campaign is about to begin, Mr Hague addressed members of the Institute on his party’s foreign policy priorities.

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.

On 3 December 2009 Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, Chief of the Defence Staff, UK Ministry of Defence addressed RUSI members on the UK's operational commitments in Afghanistan. In his annual lecture to the Royal United Services Institute in London, the Chief of the Defence Staff said the Taliban could not win in Afghanistan. But the international coalition could fail if it lost its nerve. He said: 'The Taliban is not going to defeat us militarily, but we want the same patience, courage and discipline that soldiers show here from the public at home.'

RUSI.org has been updated to give members and users even greater access to RUSI's work on defence and security.

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. 

On 3 August, Bill Rammell MP gave his first speech as Minister of State for the Armed Forces. Speaking at a RUSI Members’ Lecture chaired by RUSI Vice President Sir David Omand. The Minister used his debut to highlight the defence contribution to UK and international security.

The Minister outlined how the UK Armed Forces are defending the UK's security interests in Afghanistan and those operations fit in with the UK's wider counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST. He stressed that the vast majority of the Muslim community was appalled by terrorist groups like Al-Qa’ida and that Islam was being used as a mere ‘smoke-screen’ to carry out extremist aims. Indeed, he stressed the support of the Afghan people for the mission and conceded that rather than an imposition of Western values on the country, the campaign aims to provide a more secure future for Afghanistan. Ultimately, the Minister remained optimistic about UK efforts on the campaign, and although he conceded that counter-terrorism efforts could not take place solely by military intervention, he valued the input of the Armed Forces in maintaining UK security.

As the death of former US Defense Secretary Robert McNamara is announced, RUSI.org publishes remarks made by him at the Royal United Services Institute in 2001.

Taking part in a conference on nuclear deterrence organised in conjunction with the Oxford Research Group, Mr McNamara reflected on his own portrayal in the film, Thirteen Days, which explored the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The former US Defense Secretary then went on to reveal his role during this tumultous time in international security