Peter B. Zwack

Peter B. Zwack
Military career
AllegianceUnited States
Branch
United States Army
Service years
1980–2014
Rank
Brigadier General
Known forSenior Defense Attaché in Russia (2012–2014); Author; Academic
Battles
Kosovo War
War in Afghanistan
AwardsBronze Star; Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Joint Chiefs of Staff "Action Officer of the Year" (1999)
Other workGlobal Fellow at the Kennan Institute
Wilson Center; National Defense University

Peter B. Zwack is a retired American brigadier general who served for some years during the Obama administration as military attaché to the United States Embassy in Russia.

Biography

Military career

In 1980, Zwack received his commission at Fort Benning, Georgia, and began his career in the United States Army as an intelligence officer in an artillery battalion. He is an Army Ranger and paratrooper. His career included stops in West Germany, South Korea, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Russia.

Zwack was employed in military intelligence and was Senior Defense Attaché in Russia from 2012 to 2014, appointed to work with Hillary Clinton and exited under John Kerry. He retired after 34 years in service.

Memoirist and academic

Now working at the Wilson Center as a Global Fellow at the Kennan Institute, and the National Defense University, Zwack has become a notable academic. Some of his work includes:

Since his retirement, Zwack has written at least two memoirs:

His ideas are regularly cited in books, and he is regularly a presence in the news analysis circuit. For example, he was interviewed by CNN in October 2016, after the U.S. had accused the Russians of drugging American embassy staff.

In February 2020, Zwack supported LTC Alexander Vindman after the latter was removed by the Trump administration for his testimony in the First impeachment of Donald Trump. Zwack had been Vindman's superior when they both were military attachés in Moscow.

Personal

In the 2024 United States presidential election, Zwack endorsed Kamala Harris.

Awards

Zwack is a recipient of the Bronze Star, Distinguished Service Medal and Legion of Merit. In 1999, he was awarded the Joint Chiefs of Staff "Action Officer of the Year".

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Peter B. Zwack".
  2. ↑ Zwack, Peter B. (Spring 2004). "A NATO-Russia Contingency Command". Parameters: 89.
  3. ↑ ZWACK, PETER (2016). "Russia's Contradictory Relationship with the West". PRISM. 6 (2): 142–163. JSTOR 26470453.
  4. ↑ "Swimming the Volga: A Memoir by Brigadier General Peter B. Zwack (Ret.)".
  5. ↑ Stoner, Kathryn E. (2020). Russia Resurrected Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order.
  6. ↑ Markey, Daniel (2020). China's Western Horizon Beijing and the New Geopolitics of Eurasia.
  7. ↑ Merritt, Mark W. (2013). They Rest Not at Night Footnotes from the Field of Operations Intelligence.
  8. ↑ Spero, Joshua B. (2004). Bridging the European Divide Middle Power Politics and Regional Security Dilemmas.
  9. ↑ Slobodchikoff, Michael O.; Davis, G. Doug; Stewart, Brandon (2021). The Challenge to NATO Global Security and the Atlantic Alliance.
  10. ↑ Jeffries, Ian (2013). Economies in Transition.
  11. ↑ "Russia denies drugging US diplomats". CNN. 5 October 2016.
  12. ↑ "CNN: Brooke Baldwin: LTC Alex Vindman". CNN. 19 February 2019.
  13. ↑ "NSL4A Endorses Kamala Harris for President of the United States". National Security Leaders for America. Archived from the original on 22 September 2024. Retrieved Jan 25, 2025.