Peace talks to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine have begun. While the length and results of those talks are unknown, one thing is certain: Ukraine faces a long period of recovery.

They will have some guidance for that journey, thanks to Dr. Russ Glenn. He is the author of Brutal Catalyst: What Ukraine’s Cities Tell Us About Recovery from War, the latest title in the AUSA Book Program.

Glenn was commissioned in the US Army as a Corps of Engineers officer and initially served with the 1st Infantry Division. He culminated his 25-year Army career as the director of plans and policy at US Army Training and Doctrine Command, and he is the author of more than 50 books and full-length reports on urban operations and other security topics.

In Brutal Catalyst, Glenn examines the challenges facing three Ukrainian cities—Kharkiv, Kherson, and Mariupol—in their post-war recovery. He uses case examples of cities devastated in World War II, among them Tokyo, Berlin, and Manila, to illustrate the best principles to follow and pitfalls to avoid.

The Book Program sat down with Glenn to talk about his new book.

AUSA: How did you become interested in urban warfare when you were in the Army?

Glenn: Assigned to RAND as Senior Army Fellow during the Black Hawk Down incident, I recognized the need for our military to hone its capabilities in light of the world's increasing urbanization.

AUSA: Why is it important for the US Army to focus on urban recovery operations?

Glenn: Consider National Guard and active units’ responsibilities to assist during and after the Los Angeles fires this year, post-Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and to govern as benevolent occupiers in Iraq beginning in 2003. Those and the US Army’s long history of repeatedly finding itself helping cities and their peoples recover speaks to the need for understanding urban systems and populations. 

AUSA: What is the significance of the book’s title, Brutal Catalyst?

Glenn: War is one of mankind’s most punishing disasters, and disasters—war, hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding, and others—share much in the way of lessons for recovery. War is also a phenomenon whose character doesn’t change. It acts as a catalyst for learning and adapting that provides the tools to anticipate, then plan for, catastrophes to come.

AUSA: How do changes in modern cities’ size and technology affect the lessons learned from the recovery of WWII-era cities?

Glenn: The list of relevant advances is long. A brief sampling includes huge leaps forward in urban planning approaches; cheaper, faster, and higher-quality construction capabilities; and an improved recognition that recovery is more than addressing physical destruction alone. Leaders must meld economic, social, cultural, and other considerations into the whole that is a successful recovery.

AUSA: What priorities would you suggest for Ukrainian recovery efforts?

Glenn: First, centralized oversight is key. It abets effective use of funds; helps to minimize redundant efforts; and provides a forum for bringing together local government and community representatives, international experts, and other relevant parties. Other priorities should include drawing on lessons offered by history, readying for the challenges inherent when regaining responsibility for occupied populations, and avoiding the pitfalls associated with flawed collaboration policies.

Please visit www.ausa.org/books to order Brutal Catalyst and other titles in the AUSA Book Program. Use the promo code W25AUSA for select member discounts when purchasing directly through the publisher links.