On 26–27 September 2005, the IISS Russia and Eurasia Programme participated in a Round Table Meeting in Moscow, following an invitation from the Russian Ministry of Defence and Harvard University. This was the first reciprocal visit organised by the Russian Ministry of Defence for officers who took part in the joint IISS–Harvard programmes for senior Russian military officials, which have been underway since 2002.
Oksana Antonenko, the IISS Senior Fellow for Russia and Eurasia, travelled to Moscow with four members of the British armed services who had been involved in hosting Russian visits from 2002–2005: Maj-Gen Sebastian Roberts, General Officer Commanding London District; Brigadier James Gordon, Chief of Staff of the British Army’s HQ Northern Ireland; Colonel James Cameron, Assistant Director for Counter-Terrorism and UK Operations at the UK Ministry of Defence; and Commodore Simon Lister, commander of HM Naval Base Devonport. US participants included: Maj.-Gen. Timothy Haake, Deputy Commander, Mobilization and Reserve Affairs, US Special Operations Command; Lt-Gen Tad Oelstrom, USAF (retd), Director of the National Security Program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government; Brig General Kevin Ryan, Deputy Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3; Maj-Gen Robert Smolen, USAF, Director, Strategic Policy and Arms Control, National Security Council; and other senior officers.
British participants gave presentations during the Round Table Meeting and met representatives of the Russian State Duma Security Committee. We hope that such reciprocal visits will continue next year, when the IISS plans to organise a seminar in Rostov with the office of the Presidential representative in the Southern Federal District, as well as with representatives from the North Caucasus Military District and the Russian Interior Ministry.
