Russia and China’s Growing Military Interaction; Surprised?
“Russia and China’s Growing Military Interaction; Surprised?”
Speaker: Zwack, P. (Retired)
Date: 4 October 2018
Speaker Session Preview
SMA hosted a speaker session presented by BG (Ret.) Peter Zwack as a part of its SMA EUCOM Speaker Series. BG (Ret.) Zwack began his presentation by discussing Russia’s annual large-scale, highly-publicized military exercises and identifying the four focuses of these exercises: logistics, mobilization, command and control, and tactical innovation. He then explained that this military-focused effort is actually a whole of society effort because through these exercises, Russia is preparing its citizens for the possibility of war. He clarified that Russia does not want to go to war, nor is it in the position to go to war, but feels like in the event that it does need to go to war, its population should not be blindsided. Next, BG (Ret.) Zwack stated that the significance of China’s involvement in these military exercises has yet to be determined. He briefly discussed the history of Russian-Chinese relations and joint naval exercises (all small scale prior to now). BG (Ret.) Zwack concluded his presentation by stating that the US needs to be sure that its plans, strategies, and narratives do not push an “anxious, reactive, preemptive” Russia and an increasingly influential China together inadvertently. Moreover, he advised that the US needs to avoid engaging in any ambiguous actions with its allies so that the risk of Russia or China misinterpreting these actions is eliminated.
Biography: Brigadier General Peter B. Zwack, U.S. Army (Retired)
From 2012 to 2014, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Peter Zwack served as the United States Senior Defense Official and Attaché to the Russian Federation. Having interacted with Russians across defense, security, academia, policy, veterans’ organizations, and civil society since 1989, he developed a unique, hands-on perspective on Russia and Eurasian security affairs—particularly during the turbulent period surrounding the conflict in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine.
BG Zwack enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1980 and earned his commission through Officer Candidate School (OCS). Over his 34-year career as a Military Intelligence and Eurasian Foreign Area Officer, he served in diverse and challenging locations, including Afghanistan, Kosovo, Russia, South Korea, and West Germany. He commanded at multiple echelons, including the 66th Military Intelligence Group, served as the intelligence chief (G2) for U.S. Army Europe (2006–2008), and was the senior Army intelligence officer in Afghanistan (2008–2009).
In 2015, he was inducted into the OCS Hall of Fame. His awards include the Bronze Star, Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Defense Superior Service Medal, Afghan Service Medal, NATO/Kosovo Medal, and numerous other honors. He was named the Joint Chiefs of Staff “Action Officer of the Year” in 1999 and proudly earned the Ranger Tab and Airborne Wings.
Currently, BG Zwack is the Senior Russia-Eurasia Fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies within the National Defense University. In this role, he regularly consults and lectures within the Department of Defense, the interagency community, think tanks, academic institutions, and private industry on contemporary Russian and Eurasian security issues, as well as leadership lessons learned.
BG Zwack speaks Russian, German, Italian, and some French. He resides with his family in Newport, Rhode Island, commuting to Washington, D.C., and enjoys military history and writing, travel, scuba diving, and lacrosse.
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