RUSI Journal Radio

August Cole, best-selling author of Ghost Fleet, highlights the value of science fiction for military leaders. In this episode of RUSI Journal Radio, hosts Demi, Emma and Ed are joined by August Cole in a discussion on science fiction, future warfare and national security. August is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Creativity at Marine Corps University and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Scowcroft Center on Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC.. He also leads the Strategy team for the Warring with Machines AI ethics project at the Peace Research Institute of Oslo. He is the co-author, with Peter W Singer, of the best-selling Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War (2015) and Burn In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution (2020).

How do public perceptions of foreign policy issues change in times of uncertainty, and what can they tell us about wider trends in defence and security? In this episode of RUSI Journal Radio, hosts Demi, Emma and Ed are joined by Catarina Thomson for a discussion on foreign policy attitudes and public opinion across NATO. Catarina is Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Exeter. Her background is in clinical psychology and international relations, and her approach to security studies incorporates political psychology and domestic factors to understand the strategic behaviour of state and non-state actors in times of international conflict.

An intelligence expert reflects on the facts and fictions inherent in the UK’s perception of secret intelligence and proposes a move away from unhelpful stereotypes. In the first episode of RUSI Journal Radio’s third season, Demi, Emma and Ed are joined by Dan Lomas, a Lecturer in Intelligence and Security Studies at Brunel University. Dan’s research specialises in the use of intelligence to support policymaking, and the history of the UK’s intelligence community. He has written for RUSI on several occasions, and his most recent contribution to the RUSI Journal – co-authored with Stephen Ward – looks at public perceptions of UK intelligence.

In this episode of RUSI Journal Radio, hosts Demi, Emma and Ed reflect on the second season and share some of their favourite moments. During Season 2 of the RUSI Journal's inaugural podcast, they were joined by guests ranging from a Russian Studies expert to lecturers and research fellows, all of whom have contributed to the journal. RUSI Journal Radio returns later in the year and will explore topics including using fiction to understand strategy, the interplay between public opinion and foreign policy, PTSD in the armed forces and more.

Two counter-extremism experts revisit their international fieldwork on radicalisation, gender and countering violent extremism. In this episode of RUSI Journal Radio, hosts Demi and Ed are joined by Emily Winterbotham and Elizabeth Pearson for a wide-ranging discussion on radicalisation and gender. Emily is the Director of Terrorism and Conflict at RUSI, and her research focuses on (counter)terrorism, preventing violent extremism, and international interventions in conflict and fragile states. Elizabeth is a Lecturer in Criminology with the Conflict, Violence and Terrorism Research Centre at Royal Holloway, University of London, and specialises in gender, masculinities and (counter)extremism, with an interest in Islamist and far-right movements. Co-authored with Katherine E Brown, their book Countering Violent Extremism: Making Gender Matter (2020) offers a critical analysis of gender and terrorism.

Three strategy and policy experts from the US Naval War College explore the potential of an American defeat in a conflict with China. In this episode of RUSI Journal Radio, hosts Demi, Emma and Ed are joined by Anand Toprani, Nicholas Murray and Michael Dennis, who co-authored an essay in the RUSI Journal earlier this year on confronting the possibility of defeat. Recorded in February 2022, their conversation covers topics ranging from military wargaming to the resilience of the US political system.

How will the development of AI and the 'metaverse' impact security, defence and innovation? In this episode of RUSI Journal Radio, hosts Demi, Emma and Ed are joined by Keith Dear for a discussion on all things 'metaverse'. They explore the term's sci-fi origins, its application in security and defence, and whether creativity is a uniquely human activity. Keith is Director of Artificial Intelligence Innovation at Fujitsu Defence and Security, and has served as an expert adviser to the UK government on defence modernisation and the Integrated Review. He has written for the RUSI Journal on the digital transformation of power, AI and decision-making, and was joint guest editor of a special issue on AI in 2019.

US federal attorney and former Army Judge Advocate, Jody Prescott, explores how security concerns are weaved together. In this episode of RUSI Journal Radio, hosts Demi, Emma and Ed are joined by Jody Prescott for a wide-ranging conversation that covers climate change, morals in the military, Jackie Kennedy's iconic style, and more. Jody Prescott is a Lecturer at the University of Vermont, where he teaches Cyber Security Law and Policy, Environmental Law, and Energy Law and Climate Change. Jody served 25 years as a US Army Judge Advocate. His final operational assignment was in 2008, as Chief Legal Advisor to the NATO International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

How do historians approach the study of conflicts still within living memory? And where do personal and professional histories intertwine? In this episode of RUSI Journal Radio, hosts Demi, Emma and Ed are joined by Helen Parr. Helen is a Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at Keele University and author of Our Boys: The Story of a Paratrooper (Allen Lane, 2018), which won RUSI's Duke of Wellington Medal for Military History in 2019. The episode complements a special issue of the RUSI Journal marking the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War.

How does the Russian state use 'history as a tool' to construct narratives in times of conflict? In this episode of RUSI Journal Radio, hosts Demi, Emma and Ed are joined by Julie Fedor for a reflection on the use of national histories and war memory in contemporary conflict and security narratives, and Russian state efforts to shape collective identity. Julie is a Senior Lecturer in Modern European History at the University of Melbourne. Her work on contemporary Russian militarism and identity featured in the RUSI Journal in 2018.