Michael Kofman*

Michael Kofman is one of the country’s leading experts on the Russian military. He’s a frequent guest on the
PBS News Hour and is often quoted by the Economist, including in its next-to-last edition. He says Russian
early operations in Ukraine were “phenomenally shambolic.” The initial campaign was premised on “terrible
delusions and assumptions…a big miscalculation both politically but also militarily.” The question is: “how
much of this war is a bad army…and how much is a truly terrible plan?” Among the questions we’ve put to
him: How did Putin get such bad military and intelligence advice before invading Ukraine? How broken is the
Russian army after its drubbing north of Kiev? Can Russia be defeated? Do changes in command make a
difference?
Mr. Kofman is Research Program Director in the Russia Studies Program at the Center for Naval Analyses and
a Fellow at the Kennan Institute, Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, DC. His research
focuses on Russia, its armed forces, military thought, capabilities and strategy. In previous positions at the
National Defense University and Department of Defense, he advised senior military and government officials
on Russia and Eurasia. His has also worked at the U.S. Institute of Peace, HSBC Bank and The Diplomatic
Courier. Mr. Kofman is also a senior editor at War on the Rocks, where he regularly writes on strategy and the
Russian military.
Mr. Kofman holds an MA in International Security from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at
Georgetown University and a BA in Political Science from Northeastern University.
Please join us for what should be a fascinating session on this unanticipated but critical aspect of Europe’s
biggest security crisis since World War II.