Robert C. Castel
Website: Robert C. Castel (robertccastel.hu)
Robert C. Castel is a former research fellow at the Herzl Institute-University of Haifa and the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), a senior fellow at Neokohn.hu, a regular contributor to the Ultrahang podcast, the Fireline, and a regular contributor to Karc FM. His research interests include military innovation, applied creativity and innovation in operational environments, asymmetric warfare, geopolitics.
Robert C. Castel, born Róbert Kohn in Arad on 14 February 1970. He emigrated to Israel with his family as a child.He studied at the University of Haifa from 1995-1999 and 2004-2012, and was a student at the National Security College in the BA Honors and then in the individual doctoral program. From 2012 to 2014, he completed postdoctoral studies at the Herzl Institute and the Israel Institute for Democracy.
"He was a Captain in the Israel Defense Forces from 1990-1995 in various command and staff positions. He was commissioned by the Israeli army as a paratrooper and military intelligence captain, a decorated combat veteran, and served in Lebanon and in several other theatres of operations. He has been a senior law enforcement officer with a background in police operations, and afterwards worked in the fight against wildlife crime. RAND - 2014"
He was a combat engineer in the elite 7 Brigade, later a Captain in Military Intelligence. He held various military diplomatic posts in Lebanon and other locations. In between missions, he participated in special operations training (paratrooper, sniper, etc.). At the end of the training course, he was denied the qualification of a military instructor because of a serious and life-threatening offence committed in combat conditions. He was wounded twice in combat.
Since 1995, he has served as a reservist in various capacities in the Eitan Corps, which is responsible for searching for missing soldiers, and in the Eilat Anti-Terrorist Corps (Lotar Eilat). He currently serves as a reserve crisis negotiator for the Israeli Counter-Terrorism Center.
He served as a supervisor in the Israel National Police in various command and staff positions (security, operations, search and rescue) from 1995 - 2009. He has held various command and staff positions (snipers, witness protection, etc.). During the Gaza evacuation, he served as temporary Police Captain of Tirat Carmel. His last post was as commander of the Northern Command's mountain rescue and diving units.
From 2009 to 2014, he was the head of operations for the Northern Region of the Israel Nature Authority. 2010-2020 Research Advisor to Admiral Amichay (Ami) Ayalon, former Director of Shin Bet.
He has been present in the Hungarian media since 2016, but gained real visibility after the escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2022. In a short time he has become one of the best-known experts on the war. Unlike most analysts, he does not dissect the events at a tactical or operational level, but seeks to understand the whole picture. He is a senior contributor to Neokohn and a regular contributor to Hit Radio's Fireline programme, the Ultrahang podcast. He has appeared on Karc FM radio, Weeks, Heti tv, M1 TV, Hír TV and PS TV. His book Vertical Coffin, published in 2022, was recommended by Prof. Dr. Colonel István Resperger, Head of the Department of Military National Security at the National University of Public Service.
In December 2022, his book, The Russian-Ukrainian War - Without Myths, was published by Book People Publishing House and sold out immediately. The second edition was published in February 2023, and the third, expanded edition in the summer of 2023.
He gives lectures and public meetings in Hungary and in Hungarian-speaking areas of the Carpathian Basin.
LECTURES AND CONFERENCES
Asymmetric warfare conference - Pentagon, Arlington - RAND Corporation, 2014
Critical Infrastructure Protection Conference - Budapest - Obuda University - 2019
Asymmetric warfare conference - Budapest - HM - 2017
Critical Infrastructure Protection Conference - Budapest - Obuda University - 2020
Brainbar - Budapest - 2020
Brainbar - Budapest - 2022
Geopolitics Conference - Danube Institute - 2022
Geopolitics Conference - MCC Gyor - 2022
Middle Eastern Security conference - University of Gyor - 2020
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