James Stavridis: How NATO's Supreme Commander thinks about global security
Imagine a global security driven by collaboration — among agencies, government, the private sector and the public. That's not just the distant hope of open-source fans, it's the vision of James Stavridis, the Supreme Commander of NATO, who shares vivid moments from recent military history to explain why security of the future should be built with bridges rather than walls.
What will 21st-century security look like? NATO Supreme Commander James Stavridis suggests that dialogue and openness will be the game-changers.
In the world of security, says James Stavridis, “we are generally focused on risk. But I think we should spend a bit of our most precious resource — time — on thinking about and developing opportunities.” The first US Navy officer to hold the positions of Commander of the US European Command (USEUCOM) and of NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), Stavridis has been advocating the opportunities perspective for a long time. He sees dialogue and collaboration — between nations, and between public and private sectors — as key to the future of security. As a Navy officer, he thinks deeply about protecting the value of our “global commons.” And he's a rare high-ranking military officer who tweets and blogs.
He has led the recent military effort in Lybia, among other NATO engagements. Previously Stavridis commanded US Southern Command in Miami, focused on Latin America and the Caribbean.
Phi Beta Iota: The Co-Evolution Community (Stewart Brand et al) understood this in the 1960's and 1970's. The Open Source Community (LINUX, OSINT) understood this in the 1980's and 1990's. The Admiral is precisely 20 years behind the vanguard of iconoclasts who tried to communicate these ideas to governments — and in 2000, to NATO — over and over and over again. As many seers have noted, it takes 25 years to implement the really big ideas. Five years to go.
See Also:
1989 Al Gray (US) on Global Intelligence Challenges
1992 AIJ OSS Steele’s Original Vision
1992 E3i: Ethics, Ecology, Evolution, & intelligence (An Alternative Paradigm)
2000-2002 NATO OSINT Handbooks
Open Source Everything Highlights (Daily)
THE OPEN SOURCE EVERYTHING MANIFESTO: Transparency, Truth & Trust
