Talk on The Royal and Russian Navies
Tuesday 3rd February at 18:00 | Drawing Room | £10.00
Join David in the Drawing Room for another fascinating lecture at The Rag, given in memory of his co-author, the late Robert Avery. Their book, The Royal and Russian Navies, explores a unique period of post-Cold War military cooperation between the Royal Navy and the Russian Navy – from initial contact in 1988 to the breakdown of relations between Russia and the Euro-Atlantic community in 2014. Drawing on both his and Robert’s lived experiences throughout this period, David will examine how both sides learned about each other’s naval operations, how Russia drew lessons in maritime power to protect its global interests, and what the future may hold in light of the war in Ukraine and the deepening divide between Russia and the West. The lecture will also reflect on the maritime domain as a vital space for rebuilding military dialogue with Russia.
About the Authors
Robert Avery
Robert Avery studied Russian at Oxford and Moscow State University and taught Russian to Service personnel – predominantly Royal Navy – from 1978 until his retirement in 2017. After 8 years as lecturer/tutor at BRNC Dartmouth, he went on to become Principal at Defence School of Languages Beaconsfield in 1988 (B2 Civil Servant) and subsequently at Defence Centre for Languages & Culture at Defence Academy Shrivenham. Over 1989-2007 he acted as interpreter for nearly 70 warship and Flag visits between the RN and the Russian Navy as well as the annual RUKUS tripartite (Russian/UK/US) talks/exercises. This work provided ample opportunities for observing at close quarters how the Russian Navy did business and what constitutes its culture.
David Fields
David Fields’ naval career included a wide range of executive, management and diplomatic roles within the military and across government, including command of the frigate HMS Westminster. He qualified as a Russian interpreter in 1990 and was posted to Moscow in 1997–1999 as the Assistant Naval Attaché. During this period, he helped to develop the Memorandum of Understanding between the two navies on naval cooperation and organised several high profile visits. He returned to Russia as the Naval Attaché in 2013–2015, covering the start of the Ukraine crisis in 2014. From 2016, he worked in the UK MoD assisting in the development of the UK MoD’s Russia policy before retiring in 2017. Since then he has been a regular contributor to a variety of organisations, including US European Command, on Russian defence procurement.