Agenda

Overview

Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: Implications for the Central Region

NOTE: THE AGENDA IS TENTATIVE AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2022

8:00 - 9:00 AM

Check-in and Registration

9:00 - 9:05 AM

Conference Introduction:
Dr. Adib Farhadi, Conference Emcee

9:05 - 9:10 AM

 Welcome Remarks:
Rhea F. Law, USF President

9:10 - 9:15 AM

Welcome Remarks:
Eric Eisenberg, Interim Provost & Executive Vice President

9:15 - 9:45 AM

General (Ret.) Frank McKenzie, Executive Director, Global & National Security Institute (GNSI), USF and former Commander, U.S. Central Command

9:45 - 10:15 AM

Keynote Address:
General Michael E. Kurilla, Commander, U.S. Central Command

10:15 - 10:45 AM

Break

10:45 AM - 12:45 PM

Panel 1: Understanding Russia鈥檚 strategy in the Central Region (Middle East and Central Asia) post-Ukraine invasion  

  • Moderator: Dr. Golfo Alexopoulos, Professor and Director of the USF Institute for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies
  • Rear Adm. Nicholas Homan, Director, CENTCOM J2
  • Ambassador (Ret.) Philip Kosnett, Former Ambassador to Kosovo and Senior Fellow for the Transatlantic Defense and Security program at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA)
  • Dr. Dmitry Gorenburg, Center Associate at Harvard University, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and Senior Research Scientist, CNA
  • Mr. Hans Wechsel, Senior Foreign Policy Advisor (POLAD) to CENTCOM
  • Dr. Michael O. Slobodchikoff, Chair/Associate Professor Political Science, Troy University

12:45 - 2:15 PM

Lunch
Lunch is on your own with plenty of dining options in/around USF.

2:15 - 2:30 PM

Plenary Speaker:
Ambassador and Former Assistant Secretary at the Department of Treasury Marshall Billingslea, Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute, and Former Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control

2:30 - 4:30 PM

Panel 2: How has Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine affected drug trafficking and transnational organized crime in the Central Region

  • Moderator: Dr. Andrew Whiskeyman, COL (Ret.), Associate Professor, College of Information and Cyberspace, National Defense University
  • Rear Admiral Curt Renshaw, Director, CENTCOM J3
  • Ambassador and Former Assistant Secretary at the Department of Treasury Marshall Billingslea, Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute, and Former Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control
  • Dr. Jonathon Schroden, Director, Special Operations Program/Director, Countering Threats and Challenges Program, CNA
  • Mr. Matt Donahue, Former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Deputy Chief of Operations and Chief of Foreign Operations

4:30 - 4:45 PM

Closing Remarks: Dr. Randy Larsen, Associate Dean, Office of Research and Scholarship, USF