ARNSF features update on Ukrainian war

The CGSC Foundation’s Simons Center hosted an Arter-Rowland National Security Forum luncheon event on April 17, 2025, at the at the Carriage Club in Kansas City. The event featured a presentation on the war in Ukraine by Col. (Ret.) Matt Dimmick.

ARNSF program leader Bob Ulin kicked off the Forum welcoming the ARNSF members and their guests. After lunch, he introduced Dimmick.

In his presentation, Dimmick provided insights into the ongoing war in Ukraine based on his current work with Spirit of America, an organization that provides private U.S. support to Ukrainian forces. He incorporated observations from more than a dozen visits to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. He last visited Ukraine in November 2024.

Dimmick spoke about the factors that have enabled outgunned and outmanned Ukrainian forces to inflict costly losses on Russia while generally holding the line in a conflict that no one anticipated would be stretching into its fourth year. He attributed much of their success to adaptability and the use of drone warfare, deception and decoy methods and rapid collection and dissemination of intelligence. As he spoke about these things he framed them in terms of not only how well the Ukrainians have performed, but also how their operations have provided the U.S. with a plethora of lessons learned in these areas.

As Dimmick wrapped up his presentation, one of his last key points was the question of the negotiations process.

“How are the negotiations going?,” Dimmick asked, “Not well. A negotiation to end this war requires two parties that are willing to come to the table in good faith and negotiate. Right now one of those parties, Russia, has no desire and no incentive to come to the table. I don’t really foresee any progress getting Russians to the table under any kind of legitimate concessions.”

Dimmick said there are three possible outcomes in the next six months. The most likely is the war continues to drag on as is. A second option is that one of the sides comes to the conclusion they can’t continue at the level they have been, so they work out some kind of cease fire. The least likely option is that we get some kind of negotiated settlement where there are concessions agreeable to both sides.

After the presentation and a question and answer period, Ulin presented Dimmick with a Foundation/Simons Center coffee mug in appreciation for his time with the Forum. Ulin also provided a preview of future ARNSF gatherings.

For more photos see the CGSC Foundation Flickr album

Col. Matt Dimmick, U.S. Army, Ret., served 29 years in uniform, retiring in 2021. He currently serves as the European Program Manager at the non-profit organization Spirit of America. Previously, he served as director for Russia and Eastern Europe on the National Security Council Staff during the Trump and Biden administrations. Dimmick was also the Russia director for the Secretary of Defense from 2016 to 2019 and held the positions as defense attaché in Tbilisi, Georgia, deputy foreign policy advisor for the Chief of Staff of the Army, and assistant Army attaché in Moscow.

Dimmick is a graduate of the United States Military Academy, holds a Master of Arts in national strategy from the Eisenhower School for National Security and a Master of Arts in Russian and European studies from the University of Kansas.

The Arter-Rowland National Security Forum (ARNSF) is led by the CGSC Foundation’s Simons Center and is an exclusive professional information sharing and networking forum for those interested in keeping abreast of relevant information about national security issues.

Members of the Forum and their guests meet periodically at guest speaker events in downtown Kansas City. National and regional guest speakers representing all elements of national power (Diplomatic, Informational, Military and Economic) highlight the meetings. The Forum is nonpartisan, but elected government officials may present from time to time.

The Forum is named after Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Robert Arter, Founding Chairman of the CGSC Foundation, and Mr. Landon Rowland, the Foundation’s first major donor who was well-known in Kansas City for his keen interest in national security issues and his leadership in business and philanthropy.

ARNSF events are only open to ARNSF members and their guests. If you are not a member but are interested in joining, contact Bob Ulin at rulin@cgscf.org.

The 2025 Arter-Rowland National Security Forum is sponsored by: