Register for our upcoming conferece, US-Ukraine Security Dialogue XVIII:Taking Measure of Ukraine’s Defense Capabilities & Needs After Four Years of War, co-sponsored with the Center for U.S.-Ukrainian Relations and the Ukrainian Congressional Committe for America.
Event Date: February 25, 2026
Venue: University Club of Washington, DC
1135 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
8:45 am – 9:00 am — Registration
9:00 am – 9:30 am — The First Word
Theme: How Might the West Best Aid Ukraine in Its Present Hour of Need — Kyiv Perspective
Chair: Adrian Karatnycky (Author, Breakthrough Ukraine)
Featured Speaker: Oleh Shyriaiev (Hero of Ukraine, Order of the Gold Star)
9:30 am – 10:45 am — Dialogue Panel Discussion I
Theme: Assessing Ukraine’s Land Force Capabilities and Needs
Discussion Leader:Mark Kimmitt (DOD Dep. Asst. Sec. 2006-08/Asst. Sec of State/PMA 2008-09)
Panelists: Wesley Clark (SACEUR 1997–2000); George Barros (Institute for the Study of War); Luke Coffey (Hudson Institute)
10:45 am – 10:50 am — Coffee Break
10:55 am – 12:10 pm — Dialogue Panel Discussion II
Theme: Assessing Ukraine’s Maritime & Coastal Defense Capabilities and Needs
Discussion Leader: Debra Cagan (Atlantic Council)
Panelists: Andrij Ryzhenko (Deputy Chief of Staff, Ukrainian Navy / EA Integration 2012–2020); Glen Howard (Sarasota Foundation); Steven Wills (Center for Maritime Strategy/Navy League)
12:05 pm – 12:30 pm — Lunch Break (Press Interviews)
12:30 pm – 1:45 pm — Dialogue Panel Discussion III
Theme: Evaluating Ukraine’s Air & Air Defense Capabilities and Needs
Discussion Leader: William Courtney (RAND Corporation)
Panelists: Phillip Breedlove (SACEUR 2013–2016); Kateryna Stepanenko (Institute for the Study of War); Kelly Grieco (Stimson Center)
1:45 pm – 3:00 pm — Dialogue Panel Discussion IV
Theme: Evaluating Ukraine’s Special Operations & Cyber-Warfare/Informational Warfare Capabilities & Needs
Discussion Leader: Herman Pirchner (American Foreign Policy Council)
Panelists: Mark Montgomery (FDD Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation); Kateryna Sedova (Atlantic Council/Georgetown U); Mark Thomas (Lasalle University); Ariel Cohen (Energy, Growth, and Security Program, International Tax and Investment Center)(ACUS)
Special Commentator: Roman Popadiuk (US Envoy to UA 1992-1993)(Diplomatic Center Foundation)
3:00 pm – 3:05 pm — Coffee Break
3:05 pm – 4:30 pm — Dialogue Panel Discussion V
Theme: In Lieu of a Drone Summit — A Question: Are Ukraine’s Drone Technology Innovations Leading to a Shift in the Fundamentals of Warfare (Land, Sea, or Air)?
Discussion Leader: Kateryna Shynkaruk (Bush School of Government/Texas A&M)
Panelists: Andrij Zagorodnyuk (Minister of Defense of Ukraine 2019–2020); Stephen Blank (Foreign Policy Research Institute); Zenovy Wowczuk (Civil-Military Innovation Institute); Reuben Johnson (National Security Journal)
Special Commentator: Greg Melcher [Center for New Generation Warfare]
4:30 pm – 5:00 pm — The Last Word
Theme: How Might the West Best Aid Ukraine in Its Present Hour of Need — Western Perspective
Chair: Ilan Berman [Executive Vice President/American Foreign Policy Council]
Featured Speaker: United States Representative Don Bacon (R-NE)
