LTC Matthew Ellett
Academy Professor of Russian
Instructor of Russian
matthew.ellett@westpoint.edu
Biography
Lieutenant Colonel Ellett graduated from Brigham Young University in 2003 and was commissioned into Air Defense Artillery. Following the Short Range Air Defense basic course, he was stationed at Fort Riley, KS as a Stinger platoon leader and battery executive officer, including a deployment to Ar Ramadi, Iraq in 2004. He then transitioned to Fort Bliss, TX as a PATRIOT battery executive officer, followed by the Air Defense Artillery Captains' Career Course and completing a master's in Leadership Studies from the University of Texas at El Paso in 2006. During this time he transitioned from Air Defense Artillery to Military Intelligence, completing Airborne school and the Military Intelligence Captain's Career Course at Fort Huachuca, AZ. Following the career course, he was stationed at Fort Campell, KY where he served in several assignments within the 101st Airborne Divison (Air Assault) G2 Analysis and Control Element, including a deployment to Bagram, Afghanistan, then as Battalion Intelligence Officer with 1-506th Infantry, in Ghazni and Paktika provinces, Afghanistan in 2008. He then assumed command of the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Currahee) Military Intelligence Company (MICO), including a deployment to Paktika province, Afghanistan in 2010. Following his command, he completed a master's in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin and served as an Instructor of Russian at West Point. Following his assignment at the United States Military Academy, he moved to Fort Stewart, GA, where he served as the Brigade Intelligence Officer for 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry division, deploying to Germany and Poland in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve. Following completion of his duties at Fort Stewart, he was selected to become an Academy Professor of Russian at West Point, and then transitioned to graduate school at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. He returned to West Point in 2020 following completion of his PhD in Slavic Languages and Literature. Lieutenant Colonel Ellett's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Afghanistan and Iraq Campaign Medals. Lieutenant Colonel Ellett currently resides in New Windsor with his family.
Publications & Presentations
Presentations:
Ellett, M. (2019, April). Language use and attitudes in the post-Soviet sphere: Daugavpils, Latvia. Paper presented at the 25th annual Northwest Conference for Russian, East European, and Central Asian Studies, Seattle, WA.
Ellett, M. (2018, April). Them's fighting words! Morphology and semantics of neologisms associated with the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Paper presented at the 24th annual Northwest Conference for Russian, East European, and Central Asian Studies, Seattle, WA.
Dissertation:
Ellett, M. (2020). The language of good people or a brainless mixture: Language attitudes and perception of mixed Ukrainian-Russian speech in Ukraine. University of Washington.