RSI Connect: How Russia Wages War
Date: May 18th at 16:00 CET / 10:00 EDT Platform: Cisco Webex Events
Link to Video Recording
Link to Video Recording -- Passcode: RSIvideo2023
Details
RSI will host a panel to examine strategic leadership of the Russian Armed Forces in the Russo-Ukrainian War from a historical and contemporary perspective; the role of the National Defense Management Center of the Russian Federation; and the interaction between the Russian General Staff and the Supreme Commander and Chief of the Russian Armed Forces. Panelists will include Steven Main, Tracey German, Alexander Hill, and Graeme Herd.
Biographies
Steven Main
Title: Russia Military Studies Office Affiliation: Independent
Dr. Steven J Main has been studying and working on the Soviet (Russian) Armed Forces for the best part of 30 years, both at UK academic and government-level, and now currently runs his own company, the Russian Military Studies Office Ltd., based in Scotland. He has written and published a large number of articles, papers, and reports on various aspects of the military history, personnel, organization, and operations of both the Soviet and Russian Armed Forces.
Dr. Main has published a series of articles in British Army Review dealing with the Russian annexation of Crimea, detailed examinations of the Russian CGS V. Gerasimov, analysis of the Western MD, and the creation and work of the National Defence Management Centre of the Russian Federation. He accurately predicted its role as the future wartime organ for the Russian state, which is now heavily involved in Russia’s war in Ukraine. He has also submitted reports on Russian military technology, including the Strelets Joint Fires systems, Avangrad hypersonic glide vehicle, and RS-18 Sarmat ICBM.
Tracey German
Title: Professor of Conflict and Security Affiliation: Defence Studies Department, King's College London
Tracey German is a Professor of Conflict and Security in the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London. Her research focuses on Russian foreign and security policies, particularly Russia’s use of force, and how its neighbors have responded, as well as Russian strategic culture and military thought.
Her publications include Russia’s Chechen War and The Ukrainian Crisis: the role of, and implications for, sub-state and non-state actors, as well as articles in journals such as International Affairs, Contemporary Security Policy, Europe-Asia Studies, and Comparative Strategy. Her latest book, Russia and the Changing Character of Conflict, will be published by Cambria Press later this year. She is also a Senior Associate Fellow at RUSI.
Alexander Hill
Title: Professor of Military History Affiliation: University of Calgary
Alexander Hill is a professor in military history at the University of Calgary in Canada, specializing in the military and political history of the Soviet Union. He is particularly interested in the development of the Red Army from the late 1920s through to the end of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
More recently, his research has examined Soviet military assistance and advising in the so-called "Third World" during the latter part of the Cold War, focusing initially on southern Africa. His most significant single work, The Red Army and the Second World War, was published with Cambridge University Press in 2017. Since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine, he has been a regular commentator on Russian military and political aspects of the war for The Conversation and other online publications. He is currently working on a Handbook on Russian and Soviet Military Studies for Routledge.
Graeme Herd
Title: Professor of Transnational Security Studies Affiliation: George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies
Dr. Graeme Herd joined the Marshall Center in January 2015. He is a Professor of Transnational Security Studies in the Research and Policy Analysis Department. He runs a monthly virtual seminar series examining Russian crisis behavior, the Russia-China nexus, and the implications of this for the United States, Germany, friends, and allies.
Prior to joining the Marshall Center, Dr. Herd was the Professor of International Relations and founding Director of the School of Government, and Associate Dean, Faculty of Business, University of Plymouth, UK (2013-14). He previously served as a Faculty member at the Geneva Center for Security Policy (2005-13). Dr. Herd was a British Council Scholar in Moscow from 1991-1992. He was a Fellow at both the Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI) and Copenhagen Peace Research Institute (COPRI) in the 1990s.
Dr. Herd has published eleven books, written over 70 academic papers, and delivered more than 100 academic and policy-related presentations in 46 countries. His latest publications include: Understanding Russia’s Strategic Behavior: Imperial Strategic Culture and Putin’s Operational Code (London and New York, Routledge, 2022) and Russia’s Global Reach: A Security and Statecraft Assessment, ed. Graeme P. Herd (Garmisch-Partenkirchen: George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, 2021).