Come hear Sulev Suvari, '94, share his experiences with senior Russian military and civilian government officials. He'll enlighten us with his thoughts on how Russians think based on his interactions with them and how things are going in the world based on his learned perspective.
Sulev is a 1994 graduate and was commissioned as a Munitions Material officer. He joined Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and after being promoted to Major, he volunteered and was accepted to be a Russia and Eurasia Foreign Area Officer. He just retired from the Army after 22 years finishing his military career on the Army Staff as the Foreign Area Officer Proponent for Europe / Eurasia and Middle East / North Africa.
A few of his career highlights include:
Based on deep knowledge of Soviet ammunition and weapon systems, he provided information to C.J. Chivers on his book "the Gun" about the Kalashnikov. Other assignments including serving at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) as Admiral Stavridis's (SACEUR) Special Advisor for Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia, travelling and participating in all meetings and events (worked very closely with the current and former Russian Chief of Defense and their staffs).
Sulev is currently is a member of the McCain Institute's Russia Working Group. He’s an occasional writer on Russia and Eurasia for the International Institute for Strategic Studies "The Military Balance" and an advisor and contributor for the Conflict Studies Research Centre in Shrivenham, UK. He has worked in the US Embassies in Baku, Azerbaijan, Moscow, Russia, and Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Sulev was also a seconded officer to the Chisinau, Moldova Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission where he was an observer in the breakaway Transdniestr and participated in the local 5+2 settlement process.
