Russia’s continuing war in Ukraine: drones, high tech, and trenches

Russia’s war on Ukraine began 16-months ago, with no end in sight. On 8 June, two scholars of war, Kevin Benson, Ph.D., Colonel, US Army (ret), and Prof. Chris Marsh, Ph.D., National Defense University, will present an updated assessment of the Russia-Ukraine war to date and offer their projections on how the war might progress.

Kevin Benson graduated from West Point in 1977 and served in the US Army for 30 years, retiring in the rank of colonel. He commanded soldiers, served as the lead planner for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and concluded his career as the Director of the School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, KS. He earned a PhD in American history from KU in 2011 and was also a Dole Fellow in 2011.

Christopher Marsh is an associate professor at the Joint Special Operations Master of Arts (JSOMA) program at Fort Bragg, a division of the College of International Security Affairs of the National Defense University. Marsh is an expert on Russian and Chinese approaches to special operations, irregular warfare, military strategy, and foreign policy. Dr. Marsh is the author of several books on Russian affairs and comparative Russian-Chinese politics. He has published over 90 book chapters and journal articles on topics ranging from Russian strategy to Chinese conceptions of deterrence. He is currently writing a book on Russian irregular warfare and special operations.

This program is presented in Partnership with the KU Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies.