After sustained investment and reform Moscow has overhauled its conventional armed forces and shown a willingness to use this capability. Recapitalisation is on a Russian, not a Soviet scale, but Moscow now possesses smaller, better equipped and increasingly professional forces. Investment in conventional weaponry has occurred in parallel to modernising its nuclear delivery systems. Drawing on a study of Russia’s military modernisation to be published by the IISS in October 2020, Bastian Giegerich will examine the nature and scope of the development of Moscow’s armed forces, consider the extent of the success of the acquisition and reform projects, where these have fallen short of initial goals, and the trajectory of future developments. He will assesses the lessons Russian armed forces are drawing from the intervention in Syria’s civil war, the value of the experience gained, and the effects this has had on the military services’ military plans and their equipment programmes. At a time when Russia’s relations with many of its neighbours are strained, and amidst renewed concern of the risk of an armed clash, the talk will provide insights into the state of Russia’s Armed Forces.

Dr Bastian Giegerich is the Director of Defence and Military Analysis, The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Bastian Giegerich leads the research team that produces the IISS annual flagship publication The Military Balance, oversees the development of the Military Balance+ online database, and contributes to research and consultancy work. From 2010–15 Bastian worked for the German Federal Ministry of Defence in research and policy roles, while also serving as the IISS Consulting Senior Fellow for European Security. He holds a masters in Political Science from the University of Potsdam and a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics. Bastian is the author and editor of several books on European security and defence matters. He has taught international relations, military studies and public administration courses at the London School of Economics, the University of Potsdam, and the University of Kassel. During the 1999/2000 academic year, Bastian was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD.