Kevin Ryan
Director, Defense and Intelligence Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Member, The US-Russia Initiative to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism
Board Member, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Contact:
Telephone: 617-495-7747
Fax: 617-495-8963
Email: kevin_ryan@hks.harvard.edu
(U.S. Department of Defense)
June 24, 2012
"Vital Interdependence"
Op-Ed, Russia in Global Affairs
By Kevin Ryan, Director, Defense and Intelligence Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
In a recent op-ed published in Russia in Global Affairs the Belfer Center's Kevin Ryan and Simon Saradzhyan argue that at a time when deep U.S. defense budget cuts are underway, supporters of continued U.S. missile defense development should consider the potential for cutting costs that cooperation with Russia could offer.
May 1, 2012
"Restoring the Spirit of the Elbe Meeting"
Op-Ed, Moscow Times
By Kevin Ryan, Director, Defense and Intelligence Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
"On the eve of the NATO summit in Chicago on May 20-21, it seems that the rhetoric from both the United States and Russia has returned to a more combative past," writes Kevin Ryan, executive director for research at the Belfer Center and noted expert on Russia. "Deep-seated disagreements over missile defense and so-called frozen conflicts in Georgia have renewed suspicions and battered trust between the countries. This corrosive situation is only amplified by the fact that both countries are in an election year when moderation is viewed as a weakness and hyperbole is the norm."
(AP Photo/Stew Milne)
April 2, 2012
"A soldier’s moral compass constantly tested"
Op-Ed, Stars and Stripes
By Kevin Ryan, Director, Defense and Intelligence Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Writing about the contrast of a recent act of heroism by a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan who gave his life to save a young boy and another soldier who killed 17 sleeping children and adults, Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan says,"When a soldier makes the right choices, his deeds can be famous. When he makes the wrong choices, they are infamous. Each of us confronts these choices every day. In war, the choices and the results are magnified."
(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
March 20, 2012
"U.S. and Russia Work Together Against Threat of Nuclear Terrorism"
Op-Ed, GlobalPost
By Kevin Ryan, Director, Defense and Intelligence Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and The Elbe Group
The Elbe Group, former leaders of American and Russian intelligence and military organizations, write that the nuclear security summit in Seoul provides an important opportunity to reaffirm U.S. and Russian leadership against the deadly menace of nuclear terrorism — a threat that combines the Cold War peril of nuclear holocaust and the 21st century danger of international terrorism. Kevin Ryan joined other Elbe Group members in writing this oped.
Spring/Summer 2011
"Preventing the Unthinkable"
Journal Article, Journal of International Security Affairs, issue 20
By Kevin Ryan, Director, Defense and Intelligence Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
During the Cold War, the threat of a nuclear attack came mainly from the U.S.-Russian nuclear arsenals, writes Kevin Ryan. Today, however, the United States and Russia have been forced to adapt to a new nuclear threat—that of dedicated terrorists with money and technological access who seek to obtain and use a nuclear device.
(AP Photo)
April 1, 2011
"The Pat Tillman story: service before self"
Op-Ed, San Diego Union-Tribune
By Kevin Ryan, Director, Defense and Intelligence Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
For most people, writes Belfer Center Executive Director for Research Kevin Ryan, the story of Pat Tillman, the former professional football star who joined the Army after 9/11, ends with his tragic death and the ensuing controversy surrounding the Army’s handling of it. But for those who know Marie Tillman, Pat’s wife, and the Pat Tillman Foundation, the story does not end there. It continues in the same way it started – in selfless service to others.
Summer 2013
"Elbe Group Facilitates U.S.-Russia Communication, Security"
Newsletter Article, Belfer Center Newsletter
By Kevin Ryan, Director, Defense and Intelligence Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
As U.S. and Soviet forces converged in Germany in the final days of WWII, both armies met at the River Elbe near Torgau. That meeting of comrades, united in the face of common threats, is the inspiration for the Belfer Center’s “Elbe Group,” whose purpose is to maintain an open and continuous channel of communication on sensitive issues of U.S.-Russian relations. In late March, the Elbe Group met in Jerusalem for its eighth meeting since its founding in 2010.
(U.S. Department of Defense)
June 24, 2012
"Vital Interdependence"
Op-Ed, Russia in Global Affairs
By Kevin Ryan, Director, Defense and Intelligence Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
In a recent op-ed published in Russia in Global Affairs the Belfer Center's Kevin Ryan and Simon Saradzhyan argue that at a time when deep U.S. defense budget cuts are underway, supporters of continued U.S. missile defense development should consider the potential for cutting costs that cooperation with Russia could offer.
May 1, 2012
"Restoring the Spirit of the Elbe Meeting"
Op-Ed, Moscow Times
By Kevin Ryan, Director, Defense and Intelligence Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
"On the eve of the NATO summit in Chicago on May 20-21, it seems that the rhetoric from both the United States and Russia has returned to a more combative past," writes Kevin Ryan, executive director for research at the Belfer Center and noted expert on Russia. "Deep-seated disagreements over missile defense and so-called frozen conflicts in Georgia have renewed suspicions and battered trust between the countries. This corrosive situation is only amplified by the fact that both countries are in an election year when moderation is viewed as a weakness and hyperbole is the norm."
(AP Photo/Stew Milne)
April 2, 2012
"A soldier’s moral compass constantly tested"
Op-Ed, Stars and Stripes
By Kevin Ryan, Director, Defense and Intelligence Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Writing about the contrast of a recent act of heroism by a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan who gave his life to save a young boy and another soldier who killed 17 sleeping children and adults, Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan says,"When a soldier makes the right choices, his deeds can be famous. When he makes the wrong choices, they are infamous. Each of us confronts these choices every day. In war, the choices and the results are magnified."
