In face of Russian aggression, NATO must push back. This starts in Ukraine, but it does not end there.
Sir Richard Shirreff, NATO’s former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR), says that Ukraine has rewritten the rules of modern warfare. With drone strikes reaching deep into Russia, the entire narrative of a “no cards” nation has been flipped in a dramatic fashion.
“Ukrainians have demonstrated an extraordinary pace of innovation. It really is quite clever what they’ve achieved,” says General Shirreff who has 37 years of military service under his belt.
Having retired in 2014, Shirreff soon co-founded consultancy house Strategia Worldwide and became the Managing Partner of the company. The main goal of Strategia is to help CEOs navigate geopolitical and related external risks – a tall order in today’s operative environment.
With regards to Ukraine, despite recent positive developments, the fundamental truth of the conflict has not changed, General believes.
“The war won’t be over until Russia is defeated.” In Shirreff’s view, this will require a massive shock to Russia or Putin put out of power – or both.
“The Russian mindset is such that they will never give up pursuing Ukraine.”
Unity carries the day
To deter Russians from their objective, a solid coalition strategy is needed in Europe. This calls for “rigorous preparation” for real war, including serious upgrades in personnel, equipment, logistics and training – but there is hope, yet.
“I do feel that the penny has dropped, so to speak. Europe is moving now, with investors being very active, for one.”
The only battlefield, however, is not Ukraine. Shirreff states that Russia is engaging in a covert war on Europe, armed with a black bag full of dirty tricks. This means cyber attacks, weaponized immigration, sabotage, espionage and even assassinations.
Targeting Finland
As a frontline country, Finland is naturally a prime target.
“Russia is waging cognitive warfare against Finland, attempting to find ways to create dissent in the ranks.”
According to the General, cognitive warfare revolves around undermining a nation’s integrity – get into the heads of the citizens, make them scared of their own shadows. The only problem here is that it won’t work:
“The Finnish resilience, at the state level, is exceptional. It really is a model for everybody else to strive for.”
Reintroducing: Fortress Europe
Such dogged determination is called for in the future, as Russians will almost certainly pull every shady move from their playbook to try and shatter the cohesion of the EU and NATO. With President Trump often appearing like a Putin fan-boy, the European nations can’t expect too much from the current US administration.
“We must look for ourselves here in Europe,” Shirreff says.
Two years ago, General Shirreff gave a keynote speech at the Kouvola Security Conference. This September he’s coming back – and looking forward to it.
“My visit to Kouvola reinforced my views on Finnish resilience and strength – as well as sisu. This time around, I’m certain we will have a great conference, also.”
Leading Finns
Full disclosure: Shirreff confesses to always having had “tremendous respect” for Finns. He first came to know Finnish soldiers in Kosovo in 2000 when he was commanding the Multinational Brigade, with the Finnish battalion forming a key part of it.
“My admiration for Finland and the Finnish armed forces started already back then,” says Shirreff who is also a big sauna lover.
“I have a Finnish wood-burning sauna at home, as well.”
