NATO Is Vital to European Security

Posted: February 26th, 2017

By Major General Richard Cripwell

Major General Richard Cripwell has been the United Kingdom's Defense Attaché in Washington since March 2015. Cripwell was commissioned into the Corps of Royal Engineers in August 1982. His junior Regimental appointments were spent in Hong Kong, Germany, and Zimbabwe. He commanded a company at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, 26 Engineer Regiment and was Commander Engineers in NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. On the staff, he has served as Military Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Equipment Capability) and as the Assistant Director for Information Operations in the Ministry of Defence. As a Brigadier, he served as an Assistant Chief of Staff at the Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood. On promotion to Major General, he was appointed the Administrator (Governor) of the Sovereign Base Areas, one the United Kingdom's 14 Overseas Territories and Commander of British Forces in Cyprus.

European-wide defense is based on two elements: the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union. Understanding how each institution may develop in the coming years and coordinate together on defense is vital to assessing the future of European and transatlantic security. The Cipher Brief spoke with the United Kingdom’s defense attaché to the United States, Major General Richard Cripwell, about how he sees the future of European defense.

The Cipher Brief: Europe faces an increasing threat from ISIS-inspired terror and looks to be the next target for Russian cyber hacking, given the Continent’s array of elections this year. Is this an accurate assessment? Is Europe prepared?

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