Please join the Belfer Center’s Defense, Emerging Technology, and Strategy Program (DETS) for a seminar on “U.S. Defense in Europe Before and After Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine" on Tuesday, October 3rd at 3:00PM in Wexner G02. Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP here.
This session will begin by identifying key defense partnerships established before the war in Ukraine that have led to tactical successes throughout the conflict. The U.S. Department of Defense has leveraged the National Guard’s State Partnership Program over the last thirty years to build partnerships between U.S. states and countries around the world for the purpose of supporting security cooperation objectives. How did the invasion of Ukraine bring the effectiveness of the SPP forward? What were the key benefits and lessons learned of almost 30 years of shared training between the California National Guard and Ukrainian military forces?
In addition, this session will include a conversation about sustained U.S. military priorities throughout greater Europe. NATO has mobilized in strategically new and important ways to 1) prevent further conflict through deterring activities, 2) shape the conflict through multinational exercises that build core competencies, or 3) win the conflict should deterrence fail. The U.S. military’s rapid and ongoing deployment of Soldiers and assets to Europe now exceeds some levels of deployments to Afghanistan or Iraq. Because of this effort, NATO countries and NATO as an organization can explore new possibilities for preventing further conflict. What challenges remain for sustainment, interoperability, and basing? Is the US Army’s deployment model sustainable in the long-term?
This event is part of the For the Common Defense seminar series, run by the Harvard Kennedy School's National Security Fellows. Each seminar explores a different national security or defense-related subject chosen by Fellows to share insights, policy relevant knowledge, and professional expertise with students and fellows. Please RSVP here.