In the News: Robert B. Murrett

“North Korea and Russia signed a joint military assistance agreement last June and they are pursuing cooperation...In terms of what North Korea might get in return, I think the big fear is that Russia would be sharing more advanced nuclear technology, perhaps submarine technology or other conventional weapons technology with North Korea,” says Brian Taylor, professor of political science.

“I don’t think we have the conditions for a cease-fire. The U.S. presence will likely need to remain what it is for the foreseeable future,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs. “Shuttle diplomacy can’t move people if they have an interest in keeping the hostilities going.”

Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, says President Zelenskyy is here to “garner additional support from the administration, the Congress, and address the United Nations in ways that will provide the military support and also looking forward to negotiations.”

Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, shares his thoughts with The Hill on Ukraine's military targets, as debate renews in Washington over a policy limiting the use of American weapons deep within Russia.

“The situation is still highly fluid, but with clear signs that the Russian command and control of responding units is still coming together, with all-important unity of command not yet achieved,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

“I think both Ukrainians and the Russians are surprised by what has happened, in particular in the opportunities that this has offered to the Ukrainians in terms of going further in the Kursk region than they probably had anticipated when they started,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

“I think this is actually a significant—you know, it moves the needle. I think it sends an important signal to the civilian population in Gaza that we are concerned about them,” Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, says of the U.S. military's use of a floating pier to get food and other supplies to the people in Gaza.

Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, says current constraints on Ukraine's military forces come ahead of the spring fighting season and the prospect of a further push by Russia to capitalize on its momentum on the battlefield. 

"They [Ukraine] have used naval drones in ways that have been exceptional and not been seen in naval warfare," says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, says the war has entered a new phase and predicts an “operational tactical reset” but no major battlefield movements. “I don’t expect to see any dramatic shifts in the activity by the Ukrainian army,” he says, “but the leadership remains strong. I think we’ll see evidence of that very clearly in the months ahead.” 

 “​​Difficult choices will be required in the days and weeks ahead as military operations continue a policy of strong deterrence without seeking widespread escalation that could harm our interests and those of our allies,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

“This is a mix we haven’t seen before, and it does represent a new wrinkle,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, of the types of munitions the Navy is intercepting and the sustained nature of the threat.

"The ongoing attacks by the Houthi fighters in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, increased activity by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and the steady attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in Syria and Iraq represent a clear risk of escalation throughout the region," says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, warns that the attacks in the Red Sea could easily drag on for the whole of 2024. “In the mind of the Houthi, this is all connected to what’s happening in Gaza,” says Murrett. “And the operations in Gaza could last for the rest of this calendar year.”

"Ukrainian forces have continued to mount attacks on Russian ships and port facilities in waters adjacent to Ukraine, in Crimea and beyond," says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs. Several damaging attacks on Russian Black Sea fleet bases in recent months have "provided strong incentive to Moscow to seek a safer harbor in the Abkhazia region," he says.

Nearly two years after the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukrainian students find refuge in a community of scholars with a long history of supporting those impacted by war.

"It's a tough balancing act," says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs. "The big issue is responding to attacks that are being done by Iranian surrogates in a measured way that has a deterrent effect but does not cause the tension that exists in the area in the conflict to expand to the next level."

Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, says the next diplomatic challenge for the Biden administration is “reducing tensions” in the Middle East and working with other international allies to determine what a “post-conflict era” looks like in Israel.

As the conflict grows and rumors of involvement from groups like Hezbollah and from countries like Iraq, Iran and Egypt circulate, the question becomes "how far the conflict could escalate, both in terms of additional operations in Gaza but also the potential for it spilling over into other parts," says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

"I think, after the dust settles and we've had a chance to look at it in retrospect, Mark's reputation is going to stand up very well, and I'm confident that 20 or 30 years from now, the historians going to be very kind to him," says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.