US-Russia Program WWW.HARVARD-RGP.ORG

The US-Russia Security Program began in 1991 with the goal of providing Russian general officers a neutral environment for the discussion of security issues and exposing them to the free thinking inherent in the American democratic system.  With the addition of American counterparts in 1997, the program acquired new meaning, becoming a unique forum for open communication between the Russian and American militaries.  The program was further modified in 2002 to recognize the contribution of senior civilians in defense and defense-related establishments.  Since that time, select senior civilians with security-related functions have participated.  The most recent addition to the program is an annual workshop in Moscow that brings together Russian and American program alumni with academic specialists, current military leaders, and senior government officials.

Since 1991, it has hosted over 190 American and 356 Russian participants.  The program aims to:

  • Deepen the understanding of global and regional security issues, defense organization, and military reform and restructuring;
  • Explore specific ways to cooperate on issues of vital interest to both countries;
  • Engage the Russian senior officials in a free flow of ideas inherent in the pluralistic American system;
  • Promote critical thinking across the entire spectrum of subject matter;
  • Encourage networking for both official and social endeavors;
  • Provide environment for casual interaction between American and Russian senior defense officials.

The 2006 program hosted 35 Russian and American participants representing ground, air, and sea services.  The Russian participants began their study at NATO headquarters in Brussels, where they discussed European security and NATO expansion.  They continued on to London, where they discussed security and terrorism issues with British experts.  The program culminated in Cambridge, MA, where they joined the American participants for a one-week curriculum at the Kennedy School focusing on US-Russian relations and a wide array of international security issues.