Sir Richard Shirreff is NATO’s former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR), with 37 years of military service under his belt. Having retired in 2014, Shirreff still keeps a keen eye on the developments of the alliance.
“NATO is now unquestionably much stronger with Sweden and especially Finland joining the alliance,” Shirreff says. He remarks that seeing the blue-and-white flag of Finland in front of the NATO headquarters is absolutely a thrill – even if it was a long time in the making.
“Sweden and Finland joining up was the classic case of ‘when the situation changes, I change my mind’,” Shirreff says, applauding the resolve and rapid actions of the two Nordic nations.
“Absolutely they did the right thing. Putin’s Russia represents a clear and present threat.”
Finland elevates NATO
Shirreff is very pleased with the total package that Finland brings to the table. “There’s so much that Finland can teach other NATO members about being resilient and self-sufficient.”
The General is also a big fan of the Finnish conscript system and has not been shy about expressing it, either. “I have been very vocal in using the Finnish conscript model as a great example for the UK, too.”
Shirreff notes that some conflicts can certainly be handled with volunteer armies, but the wars of the future may well require a more comprehensive approach. “I served in the first Persian Gulf War where the allied forces were voluntary forces. Going forward, there may be bigger conflicts where volunteers are not enough,” he says.
Prepare you must
Shirreff will be appearing at the Kouvola Security Conference in September, giving a speech under the the theme ‘If you want peace, prepare for war’ and talking about the European capability in defence production. He believes that there is still a lot to do in this regard: “Right now, the European defence production capability is not good enough. The targets should be set higher.”
The General talks about a “fundamental mindset change” that European nations must undergo. “All around Europe, we must invest in rigorous preparation for war,” he says, adding that this includes upgrades in personnel, equipment, logistics, training…
“All this is needed, since peace can only be assured once Russia is defeated. And even after that, I don’t think we’ll ever see an olive-branch waving liberal leading Russia.”
Predicting Russian aggression
Once retired, Shirreff took on a bit of a visionary aura with the launch of his 2016 novel 2017: War with Russia – An Urgent Warning from Senior Military Command. That warning may not have been heard at the time of the book release, but it certainly became relevant in February 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Shirreff says that the book was largely inspired by what happened in Crimea in 2014. “It was clear that Putin would not stop there.”
First time in Finland
In 2016, Shirreff also co-founded consultancy house Strategia Worldwide and started as the Managing Partner of the company. He explains that the task of Stretegia is to help CEOs navigate geopolitical complexity.
“When it comes to risk management and gathering intelligence, companies must build better capabilities to meet today’s challenges,” he believes.
Shirreff is excited about his upcoming trip to Kouvola and Finland in September – and expecting lively debate as well as fresh insights from the conference.
As the Managing Partner of Strategia Worldwide, he approaches the visit as a great learning opportunity.
Shirreff remarks that he’s always had tremendous respect for Finns. “I first came to know Finnish soldiers in Kosovo in 2000 when I commanded the Multinational Brigade the Finnish battalion was part of,” he looks back.
“I was hugely impressed, hence my admiration for Finland and the Finnish armed forces.”
Sir Richard Shirreff was educated in England, he graduated from Exeter College, Oxford (Modern History) before being commissioned into the British Army from Sandhurst.
In his 37-year career, he commanded soldiers on operations at every level from platoon to division. This has included combat in the Gulf War of 1991 as a tank squadron leader and again in Iraq as a divisional commander, together with other operations in Northern Ireland, Kosovo and Bosnia. In addition, he had extensive staff experience at brigade, Army HQ and in the Ministry of Defence. He commanded NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, and his final military assignment was NATO’s 4 Star Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR).
In February 2016 he co-founded Strategia Worldwide Ltd, a global risk advisory company, which has since built up a sizeable portfolio of clients across different sectors. In 2016 his novel ‘2017: War with Russia’ was published in the UK, USA and Poland. It became a best seller and has been translated into eight languages. He is an honorary fellow of Exeter College, Oxford.