Mason Clark is the Director of the Defense of Europe Project at the Institute for the Study of War. Mason’s current research and long-form writing efforts focus on current Russian conventional military capabilities; NATO’s force requirements to deter or defeat future Russian aggression; and the operational-level history of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Mason joined ISW in 2018 and led ISW’s Russia Team from July 2020 to December 2023. In this role, Mason designed and led ISW’s standard-setting coverage of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. In addition to writing and managing the production of hundreds of ISW’s daily updates, Mason has published multiple ISW reports on Russian military learning and thinking. He has published externally with Foreign Affairs, Chatham House, and others, and has been extensively quoted in leading international media coverage of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Mason regularly briefs senior military and civilian decision makers in the United States, NATO allies, Ukraine, and other partner states.
Areas of Expertise
Russia & Ukraine
Focus Areas
Product Line
Map Series
Selected Analysis By
Mason Clark
Long Form Report
Contemporary & Future War
Defense of Europe
Russia & Ukraine
The Russian Military: Forecasting The Threat
Long Form Report
Ukraine
Contemporary & Future War
Russia & Ukraine
Ukraine and the Problem of Restoring Maneuver in Contemporary War
Long Form Report
ORBATS and Exercises
Ukraine
Russia & Ukraine
Russian Regular Ground Forces Order of Battle: Russian Military 101
Long Form Report
Kremlin
Russia in the Middle East
Syria
Contemporary & Future War
Russia & Ukraine
The Russian Military’s Lessons Learned in Syria
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New York Times: Tracking the War in Real Time
Latest Research by
Mason Clark
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Middle East
Iran & Proxies
Iran Update Special Report, August 18, 2026
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China & Taiwan
Taiwan
China & Taiwan Update, August 18, 2026
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Middle East
Iran & Proxies
Iran Update Special Report, August 17, 2026
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Russia & Ukraine
Ukraine
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 17, 2026
Latest Research by
Mason Clark
Update
Russia & Ukraine
Ukraine
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 18, 2026
Update
Middle East
Iran & Proxies
Iran Update Special Report, August 18, 2026
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Ukraine
Wall Street Journal: See the Battlefield Innovations Reshaping the Russia-Ukraine War
Television & Video
Russia & Ukraine
Ukraine
Atlantic Council: What is driving Ukraine’s momentum in the war?
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Middle East
Iran & Proxies
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Television & Video
Russia & Ukraine
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