NORAD visitors share expertise about Russia Published Dec. 2, 2011 By David Edwards Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Thanksgiving weekend means guests, and that theme was extended an extra day by the Academy's Slavic Studies club. On the day cadets returned from Thanksgiving break, the club and its faculty adviser, Dr. Dave Sacko, enjoyed the company of two crosstown guests and discovered something: Their colleagues at North American Aerospace Defense Command have some amazing insights into Russia -- and lots of entertaining stories to boot. For everyone who attended the early-evening get-together, the hour and a half with NORAD representatives Gretchen Bliss and Rob Martin was time well spent. Bliss is the deputy for plans, resources, training and exercises. Her detailed knowledge of Russian language and culture as well as understanding of the military have proved vital in facilitating cooperation between Russia and North America. Martin is an officer in the Canadian air force who has accompanied Bliss on numerous trips to the Russian city of Khabarovsk and occasional visits to Moscow for multilateral dialogue. Together with their counterparts in the Russian armed forces, they plan and help carry out joint military exercises, arrange sites and dates for high-level meetings and, in general, strive to improve American and Canadian relations with Russia. "(This) event brought the real-world experience of military-to-military interactions with the Russian Federation to our students," Sacko said. "The foreign area studies curriculum does a great job providing theoretical information about international politics to our students. And with Russia in particular, hearing about real-world scenarios from subject matter experts helps our students place these incidents within the theoretical information that they learn." Bliss and Martin regaled their audience with stories of the squabbles, personalities, politics and camaraderie they deal with in their delicate work. And they were generous in dispensing advice to the cadets who asked about the subtleties of Russian culture the other side's approach to the process. They talked in detail about preparations for and execution of Exercise Vigilant Eagle, a joint exercise that has been staged twice, most recently in August at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska. Bliss and Martin linked the exercise to the Obama administration's efforts to achieve warmer relations with Russia. Bliss also mentioned the name of Russian air force General-Major Sergey Zhmurin, who brought an entourage to visit the Air Force Academy in July. Zhmurin had specifically asked to tour the Academy, and the ties established between NORAD and Russia through the work of Bliss and Martin ensured that the visit took place. The Slavic Studies club meeting shined light on the grueling efforts that are necessary to achieve breakthroughs in cooperation. It also offered cadets a glimpse of what the future might hold for some of them. "From the discussion on Monday night, it is apparent that the cultural and language education that cadets receive at the Academy is crucial for future officers," said Cadet 1st Class Jay Zeigler of Cadet Squadron 30, who is the club's cadet leader. "As for Russian-American military relations, the NORAD panel proved that relations are improving and greater military ties are being forged." Sacko hopes to bring Bliss and Martin back to the Academy in January so that more cadets can participate and broaden the discussion. A larger audience would have been nice, but the quality of the information presented shows that timing may not necessarily be everything. "The value of the Slavic Studies club lies in providing practical application of material learned in class," Sacko said. "Anytime we can partner real-life expertise with our students, we'll count that as a win."