Russian Aggression: Strategic Culture and the Need for Conflict
Geostrategy Forum
Tuesday 13 October | Time: 08:15 - 09:45 BST
The Geostrategy Forum convenes and connects prominent stakeholders for monthly breakfast discussions on key geostrategic issues, as well as foreign, defence, and international trade policy matters. A keynote speaker discusses a prominent topic before invited guests exchange their views and ideas in a roundtable format.
The Geostrategy Forum takes place monthly. Events are by invitation only and take place strictly off the record.
Register for this event
Deputy Commander Land Forces, Maj. Gen. John Kendall DL VR, joins us for a Geostrategy Forum on 13th October for an urgent assessment of European security dynamics, state-on-state conflict, and the future posture of Western defence forces.
Speaker
Maj. Gen. John Kendall DL VR, Deputy Commander Land Forces
Maj. Gen. John Kendall DL VR is Deputy Commander Land Forces of the British Army, having been promoted to the position in November 2024 following a distinguished career in the British Armed Forces. He was commissioned into the Royal Signals Reserves from the Berkshire Yeomanry, where he served as Lance Corporal detachment commander, stores soldier, and physical training instructor. Alongside numerous other positions within the British Army, he has also held staff appointments teaching at the Junior Officer Tactics Course and Reserve Advanced Command and Staff Course.
Honorary Chair
Dr Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter OBE, Honorary Chair, Geostrategy Forum
Dr Carl Hunter OBE is Chairman of Coltraco Ultrasonics, a high-exporting advanced manufacturer. He is also Chairman of the British Exporters Association; Director-General of the Durham Institute of Research, Development and Invention; Director of the Centre of Underwater Acoustic Analysis; Professor-in-Practice at Durham University Business School; Visiting Fellow of the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre; and Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology.
Maj. Gen. Kendall will lead a comprehensive discussion addressing:
- Strategic Culture & Historical Imperatives: The underlying doctrines, regime worldviews, and historical narratives driving modern Russian foreign and military policy.
- The Structural "Need for Conflict": How Russia's internal political dynamics, economic factors, and geopolitical ambitions create a persistent requirement for external confrontation.
- Russian Preparations for the Next War: Lessons learned from recent operations, Russian military-industrial mobilisation, force restructuring, and modern warfighting adaptations designed for long-term strategic rivalry with NATO.