Link to Video Recording
RSI welcomes Alion Policy Analyst Matthew Pennock to host a panel discussing his recent research on Rosgvardia (National Guard). Panelists include Mike Kofman, Mark Galeotti and Andrew Monaghan.
Abstract:
How might Russia’s National Guard — Putin’s personal Army — be used in War? The panel discussion will present and discuss the findings for the accompanying paper that answers that very question. The methodology will include a thorough examination of Rosgvardia’s roles and functions in peacetime juxtaposed with its capabilities. Next, the presentation will examine the evolution of Russia’s perceptions of war and how they have changed to account for the emerging threat of nonmilitary warfare. Lastly, the discussion will look at the nexus of theory and practicality. How might Rosgvardia be used to counter and deter nonmilitary war? The dialogue will then elicit outside input from leading subject-matter experts on Russian internal security and its Armed Forces.
Biographies
Matthew PennockPolicy AnalystAlion Science and Technology
Matthew is a policy analyst at Alion Science and Technology, specializing in Russian political, military, and cultural studies. He holds a Master’s in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh. He is also a former Matthew B. Ridgway fellow, where he directed a research group on the India/Pakistan conflict in Kashmir.
Andrew MonaghanDirector, Russia Research NetworkGeorge F. Kennan Fellow, Kennan Institute
Dr Andrew Monaghan is founding Director of the Russia Research Network. He is also a George F. Kennan Fellow at the Kennan Institute in Washington, D.C. Additionally, he is a Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, and a Non-Resident Associate Fellow of the NATO Defense College in Rome, where he is also the Commissioning Editor of the Russian Studies series.He has also been employed by the Oxford Changing Character of War Centre, Chatham House, NATO and the UK Defense Academy. He has advised various governments and international organizations, as well as major companies. Additionally, he has served as an expert witness to several parliamentary committees, including the UK’s National Security Strategy Committee, the House of Commons Defense and Foreign Affairs Select Committees, and NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly.He is widely published and is the author of several books, including Dealing with the Russians (Polity, 2019), Power in Modern Russia (MUP, 2017) and The New Politics of Russia (MUP 2016).
Mark GaleottiDirector, Mayak IntelligenceHonorary Professor, University College LondonSenior Associate Fellow, RUSI
Dr Mark Galeotti is the director of the London-based consultancy Mayak Intelligence Ltd, as well as an Honorary Professor at University College London and a Senior Associate Fellow at RUSI and the Council on Geostrategy. He read history at Cambridge and took his doctorate in government at the London School of Economics, and has since been Head of History at Keele University, a Senior Research Fellow with the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Professor of Global Affairs at New York University, and a visiting professor at Rutgers-Newark (Newark, NJ), Charles University (Prague) and MGIMO (Moscow). A specialist in Russian security and international politics, his most recent books include The Vory: Russia’s super mafia (Yale, 2018), We Need To Talk About Putin (Ebury, 2019), Russian Political War (Routledge, 2019), and The Weaponisation of Everything (Yale, 2022).
Michael KofmanResearch Program Director, Russia Studies ProgramCenter for Naval Analyses (CNA)
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. Previously, he served as a Program Manager and subject matter expert at National Defense University, advising senior military and government officials on issues in Russia and Eurasia. 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/Mr. Kofman has published numerous articles on the Russian armed forces, security issues in Russia/Eurasia, and analyses for the US government. He holds an MA in International Security from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.