NWC Issues in National Security, Lecture 6 "Russian Mercenaries"

This lecture took place on March 19, 2024. From Professor Faulkner: As Russian forces floundered in the early part of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, reports emerged of forces from a Russian private military company arriving on the frontlines to bolster the Russian army. It wouldn’t be long before the Wagner Group would become front page news. While this shadowy outfit gained international notoriety through its participation in Ukraine, the Wagner Group had long served as Moscow’s mercenaries abroad, particularly across the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa. This lecture surveys the rise and fall of the Wagner Group – from conception to decapitation – and considers what’s next for Russia’s use of mercenaries. About the Speaker: Professor Christopher Faulkner Christopher Faulkner is an assistant professor of national security affairs in the College of Distance Education at the U.S. Naval War College where he teaches courses on international security and foreign policy analysis. He first joined the Naval War College in 2021 as a postdoctoral fellow. Before joining the NWC, he served as a visiting assistant professor at Centre College in Danville, KY. During his doctoral studies, he was a Minerva-Jennings Randolph Peace and Security Scholar with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). His research focuses on militant recruitment, civil-military relations, and private military companies. He is currently writing a book on the rise and fall of the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company.