Dennis Blease

Dennis Blease, Deputy Director, Centre for Security Sector Management.

"Before joining the Centre for Security Sector Management in 2008, Dennis Blease was NATO’s Security Sector Reform (SSR) Advisor in the Western Balkans. He has senior military experience in NATO and European policy, peace support operations, conflict prevention work, security sector transformation and development, diplomacy and advising on SSR at governmental level.

"He has spent a total of 9 years working with NATO. As Commander of NATO’s mission in the Republic of Macedonia, he advised the Government on post-conflict reconstruction programmes and SSR, as well as Whole of Government Approaches to transformation. This role was expanded to the regional level when he was appointed NATO’s lead on SSR matters for the Western Balkans. He worked closely with the governments of the region, in particular with Ministers of Defence, and their ministries and general staffs. As part of his recent work in Kosovo, he was a major contributor to the security sections of the UN-sponsored Ahtisaari Comprehensive Proposals.

"His recent appointments include: Deputy Director for NATO and European Policy in the UK MOD; Director of the Joint Operations Centre for NATO’s Southern Region; European Union Operations Director for Op CONCORDIA (the EU’s first ESDP mission); Commander of NATO’s mission in the Republic of Macedonia; and Military Advisor to President Ahtisaari, the United Nations Special Envoy for the future status of Kosovo.

"Dennis is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, a Member (by examination) of the City and Guilds Institute, a Member of the Institute of Directors, and a graduate of Cranfield University and the Australian Army Command and Staff College.

"He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Security Sector Management; a member of the International Advisory Board of Analytica, a Balkans-based think-tank; a member of the PfP Consortium working group on ‘Regional Stability in South-East Europe’; a member of the International Working Group on National Security (IWGNS), which is currently chaired by CSSM; a member of the editorial board of the Slovenian-based journal ‘European Perspectives’ that focuses on the Western Balkans; and on the International Advisory Board of CSSM’s MSc in Security Sector Management.

"He is currently undertaking research into NATO’s role in SSR engagements as part of his PhD studies with Cranfield University."