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14 February 2023

'The invasion by Russia of Ukraine has galvanised the NATO alliance', US Under Secretary of Army tells King's audience

The US Under Secretary of the Army, Honorable Gabe Camarillo, discussed some of the main challenges in military strategy during a visit to King’s Department of War Studies.

US Under Secretary Army

The US Under Secretary of the Army, Honorable Gabe Camarillo, shared his thoughts on military support to Ukraine, the NATO partnership and military strategies to enable sustained cooperation during a recent visit to King’s.

In conversation with General Sir Adrian Bradshaw, Visiting Professor at the Department of War Studies, Mr Camarillo also highlighted how the US Department of Defence had updated the National Strategy to prioritise challenges in the Indo-Pacific region last year. Although the Russia-Ukraine conflict may have affected this focus, he said that essential efforts are now being made to address conflicts with an emphasis on partnerships and alliances.

"The invasion by Russia of Ukraine has galvanised the NATO alliance. It has spurred greater investment by our European partners and allies and, in many ways, has prompted the industrial base to respond. In the United States and overseas, we see the same thing happening in the Indo-Pacific as we are working very hard to promote a network of allies and partners with which we can work to make sure that we maintain a steady deterrent capability in the Indo-Pacific region and make sure that we promote a rules-based international order, which is what the United States and our British allies are firmly behind"

Honorable Gabe Camarillo, US Under Secretary of the Army.

The event was held on 3 February and organised by International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) and led by Professor John Gearson, Head of the School of Security Studies, who welcomed the US Under Secretary of Army, Sir Adrian Bradshaw and students from the Department of War Studies.

On the future of the US’ and the allies' military strategy in Ukraine, he told the audience out that it's too soon to predict the outcome of the conflict.

"I stand with President Biden in saying that the end of the conflict will not be decided yet, so Ukraine must remain in the lead and driving seat unless Putin withdraws his forces. Our priority is to offer direct support and provide Ukraine with the necessary capabilities to counter Russian aggression"

Honorable Gabe Camarillo, US Under Secretary of the Army.

During the last year, the White House support in Ukraine has been evolving from providing various military equipment to upholding the commitment to continued support, he said. He added that the early stages of the conflict saw cooperation between the US and UK intelligence to counter disinformation campaigns by the Russian government around the invasion.  

“The value of truth against misinformation was critical in this effort, and I expect continued cooperation with partners and allies in these efforts"

Honorable Gabe Camarillo, US Under Secretary of the Army.

Mr Camarillo also referred to deterrence strategies, stabilisation operations in conflict zones and the coordination of both security assistance and training efforts to the success of NATO’s mission, concluding that “Ukrainian forces are highly motivated, courageous, technically proficient, and innovative. They effectively employ systems as intended and have even modified equipment”.  

In this story

John Gearson

Head of the School of Security Studies