One year into Russia’s war against Ukraine, the militaries of Moscow and Kyiv have respectively failed to meet and exceeded expectations. The West is providing increasingly advanced and capable weapons systems. Ukrainian forces are attempting to arm and reconstitute their forces ahead of anticipated Russian offensives. For their part, Russian forces are both digging in and deploying forces mobilized at the end of 2022 to stave of Kyiv’s offensives, but also attempt to regain lost momentum. The delta between the West’s continued delivery of tanks and advanced weapons, and Russia’s mobilization and rearmament is likely where the next phase of the conflict will be decided.
How has the war affected the militaries of Russia and Ukraine? How has each adapted to the battlefield? What will the year ahead hold? Is Western support sustainable? What are the risks of escalation? What lessons, if any, does the war in Ukraine hold for the future of modern warfare, and for other theatres? Joining CSPC to discuss these questions and more are Lt. Gen. David Barno and Dr. Nora Bensahel—authors of “Adaptation Under Fire”—and Michael Kofman, the director of CNA’s Russia Studies Program. The Director of the Mike Rogers Center for Intelligence & Global Affairs, Joshua C. Huminski, will moderate this timely discussion.
This is a follow-on discussion to CSPC’s June conversation about the military adaptation of both Ukraine and Russia.
Lt Gen David Barno
Lieutenant General David W. Barno, USA (Ret.) is a Visiting Professor of Strategic Studies and Senior Fellow at the Merrill Center of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He is also a Contributing Editor and Columnist for War on the Rocks, and an Adjunct Research Staff Member at the Institute for Defense Analyses.
Dr. Nora Bensahel
Dr. Nora Bensahel is a Visiting Professor of Strategic Studies and Senior Fellow of the Merrill Center at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a Contributing Editor and Columnist for War on the Rocks. She is also an Adjunct Research Staff Member at the Institute for Defense Analyses. Her work focuses on the future of warfare, and military strategy and operations. She is the co-author of the recently-published book Adaptation Under Fire: How Militaries Change in Wartime, and currently serves on the Executive Board of the Leadership Council for Women in National Security (LCWINS)..
Michael Kofman
Michael Kofman serves as Research Program Director in the Russia Studies Program at CNA and as a Fellow at the Kennan Institute, Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, DC. His research focuses on the Russia and the former Soviet Union, specializing in Russian armed forces, military thought, capabilities, and strategy. Mr. Kofman is also a Senior Editor at War on the Rocks, where he regularly authors articles on strategy, the Russian military, Russian decision-making, and related foreign policy issues. He runs a personal blog on the Russian armed forces at https://russianmilitaryanalysis.wordpress.com/