May 31, 2024

Announcing Partnership between the International Churchill Society and the Royal United Services Institute

LONDON: On Monday, May 20th, UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron attended a landmark ceremony celebrating the new strategic partnership between the International Churchill Society (ICS) and the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). To watch a video of the event, please CLICK HERE.

This pioneering partnership, orchestrated by RUSI Trustee and past ICS Chairman Laurence Geller CBE, represents a significant milestone for both organisations. Part of this union is a substantial £1 million endowment to RUSI, Europe’s premier and the world’s oldest defence and security think tank. This funding is set to enhance greatly RUSI’s policy and research capabilities, thereby advancing British defence and security principles on a global scale. In today’s unpredictable international climate, ICS recognised that such an investment is particularly critical.

RUSI will dedicate the second floor of its newly restored building to Sir Winston Churchill and ICS, featuring a commemorative plaque to honour the ICS and its mission to preserve and promote Churchill’s historic legacy. Geller commented, “We are immensely grateful for the partnership between the ICS and RUSI. RUSI leads the way in fostering public debate on defence, security, and international affairs—topics profoundly influenced by Churchill during his lifetime and actively sustained  and embraced by the International Churchill Society today in addition to its mission in preserving the memory, history lessons,  and legacy of Sir Winston for current and future generations. Over the years, the ICS and RUSI have hosted some of the most formidable foreign secretaries, and our current one is no exception.”

The ceremony was attended by more than 120 prominent figures from the UK and US defence, political, and academic sectors. In his address, Lord Cameron underscored the partnership’s importance in an increasingly dangerous era. He highlighted the necessity for RUSI’s continued role in shaping defence policy to uphold and promote Britain’s principles globally, drawing inspiration from the historical precedents set not only by his predecessors on the geopolitical stage but, importantly by Sir Winston Churchill. The event underscored the enduring relevance of past courageous decisions in navigating future challenges.

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At the culmination of the ceremony, Lord Cameron unveiled a bust of Sir Winston by the celebrated artist, Paul Rafferty, which was commissioned and donated by Laurence Geller and is prominently displayed in RUSI’s Whitehall Headquarters.