Mailing address
Littauer P-28
79 JFK Street, Littauer P-28
Cambridge, MA, 02138
Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan
Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Contact:
Telephone: 617-495-1401
Fax: 617-495-8963
Email: Kevin_Ryan@ksg.harvard.edu
Experience
Brigadier General (retired) Kevin Ryan is a Senior Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government's Belfer Center. A career military officer, he has extensive leadership experience in Air and Missile Defense, Intelligence, and Political-Military policy areas. In his last active duty assignment BG Ryan was responsible for Army Strategic War Plans, Policy, and International Affairs. He served as Senior Regional Director for Slavic States in the Office of Secretary of Defense and as Defense Attaché to Russia. He also served as Chief of Staff for the Army's Space and Missile Defense Command and as Assistant Professor Russian Language, United States Military Academy. Ryan has previously been a Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center and a Fellow at the Shorenstein Center on Press, Politics and Public Policy, and he comes to Belfer Center most recently from iRobot Corporation, where he was Vice President for Business Development. BG Ryan holds a Bachelor of Sciences Degree from the US Military Academy and Master's Degrees from Syracuse University and the National War College. He and his wife Kathryn have five children, Benjamin, Lisa, Kelly, Denelle, and Nicholas.
AP Photo
March 19, 2008
Five Years Into Iraq: A Report Card
Media Feature
By Graham Allison, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Douglas Dillon Professor of Government; Faculty Chair, Dubai Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School, Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Meghan O'Sullivan, Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, Eric Rosenbach, Executive Director for Research, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Paul Kane, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 2005-2008
With the war in Iraq stretching past the five-year mark, experts weigh in on what has gone right, what has gone wrong, and lessons learned. Paul Kane, a Marine veteran of Iraq, writes of the “serious disconnect” between civilians and those who have served in uniform, while Meghan O’Sullivan, former deputy national security advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan, says that today “we have the right strategy in place — and it is making a difference on the ground.”
Photo by Martha Stewart
Spring 2008
"Gorbachev and Belfer Center Combine Forces to Overcome Nuclear Danger"
Newsletter Article, Belfer Center Newsletter
By Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev visited Harvard's John F. Kennedy School on December 4 and told an overflow crowd at the JFK Jr. Forum that the time has come to rejuvenate efforts to eliminate the danger from nuclear weapons and materials.
February 25, 2008
"Is it Wise to Pause in Iraq?"
Op-Ed, Orlando Sentinel
By Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Brigadier General (ret) Kevin Ryan, senior fellow at the Belfer Center, examines the pros and cons of pausing the troop withdrawal in Iraq. It may be beneficial for the war in Iraq, he says, but could seriously complicate the conflict in Afghanistan for U.S. forces.
AP Photo
December 19, 2007
Putin Deserves Credit for Russia's Resurgence
Media Feature
By Graham Allison, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Douglas Dillon Professor of Government; Faculty Chair, Dubai Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School and Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Time magazine has named Russian President Vladimir Putin its Person of the Year for 2007. Belfer Center experts Graham Allison and Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan weigh in on his selection.
AP Photo
November 26, 2007
"What is Bad for Russia is Again Good for U.S."
Op-Ed, Moscow Times
By Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Brigadier General (ret.) General Ryan examines the relationships that the U.S. has with both Russia and Georgia. He writes "it's certainly understandable and justified that the United States would consider its own national interests first when dealing with Georgia or Russia, but the truth is that the U.S. attitude toward the region too easily falls into the tired Cold War paradigm of "what is bad for Russia is good for the United States.'"
AP Photo
October 16, 2007
"Expand or Scrap the Missile Ban"
Op-Ed, Los Angeles Times
By Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Two decades after the U.S. and Russia signed the only treaty in history that eliminated an entire class of weapons, the treaty has become a danger to Russian and American security interests, according to Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan. It must now either be expanded or eliminated, he says.
AP Images
September 11, 2007
"No choice -- withdrawal starts in '08"
Op-Ed, Los Angeles Times
By Graham Allison, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Douglas Dillon Professor of Government; Faculty Chair, Dubai Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School and Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
"What all of this debate about withdrawal missed, however, is that the driver is not conditions in Iraq or politics in the United States but the hard realities of Army and Marine Corps readiness. As the troops' extended 15-month tours of duty end, the Army and Marine Corps simply don't have more troops to replace them. The withdrawal will be, in effect, the flip side of the surge."
AP Images
September 7, 2007
Iraq Progress Report: Reading Between the Lines
Media Feature
By Graham Allison, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Douglas Dillon Professor of Government; Faculty Chair, Dubai Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School, Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Paul Kane, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 2005-2008, Eric Rosenbach, Executive Director for Research, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs; Faculty Chair, International Security Program
With Gen. David H. Petraeus scheduled to appear before Congress next week, Belfer Center experts and researchers offer their insights and analysis — as well as items that Congress should not overlook.
May 24, 2007
Plans in Iraq Must Be Based on Realistic Demands
Op-Ed, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
By Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
This week, a second round of surge units were announced for Iraq as the number of troops in that country builds to its highest level ever. Gen. David Petraeus has told President Bush that he needs until September to see if conditions on the ground warrant continuing the surge.
March 29, 2007
The Withdrawal that Isn't
Op-Ed, Boston Globe
By Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
