Air University’s Dr. Mark Conversino Discusses the State of Geopolitical Affairs
Rotarian Dan Bundy with President Bruce Rogers and Dr. Mark Conversino
This week the Rotary Club of Birmingham recently welcomed Air University Professor Emeritus Dr. Mark Conversino. He discussed the state of geopolitical affairs around the world from a military perspective, focusing on conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and other areas of concern. He discussed increasing instability in various regions, the preparedness of the U.S. and its allies, and the challenges to democracies committed to preserving the rules-based international order.
Bio for Dr. Mark Conversino
Dr. Mark J. Conversino is Professor Emeritus, Air University (AU), Maxwell AFB, Alabama. He retired on May 31, 2024, following more than 42 years of service as a career military officer and then as a civilian employee of the Department of the Air Force. While at AU, from 2008 to 2015, Dr. Conversino served as the Dean of the Air War College (AWC), having joined the school’s faculty following his retirement from active duty with the Air Force. From 2015 to 2019, he was Professor of Strategy and Deputy Commandant of AU’s elite School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. In 2019, he assumed the role of AU’s Provost and Chief Academic Officer. In this position, he served as the university’s senior executive authority and primary advisor to the AU Commander on all matters related to curriculum, faculty, regional and specialized accreditation, and institutional research and effectiveness. Dr. Conversino holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Eastern Kentucky University and a master’s and Ph.D. in History from Indiana University, specializing in military history as well as Russian history and Soviet and East European politics. He taught in numerous programs within AU and the DoD, focusing on contemporary Russian military affairs and foreign policy as well as national security strategy. He is the author of the book Fighting With Soviets: The failure of Operation Frantic, 1944-1945, which was also published in Ukraine in 2015. He also published numerous chapters in edited works as well as articles and reviews in academic and professional defense journals. A past member of the Board of Advisors to the Baltic Defence College in Tartu, Estonia, Dr. Conversino has traveled extensively across the former Soviet Union during the past two decades and even in retirement, continues to lecture and teach in programs across AU.