Expert Network Expert of the Month – November 2016 Expert of the Month – August 2018 Contributor

Dennis Blease (PhD) is a Senior Security & Justice Advisor and Director of DBA Security Sector Reform (SSR) Consultants Ltd. He is also an SSR associate with the Geneva-based International Security Sector Advisory Team (ISSAT) and lectures on behalf of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) as part of its Eastern Partnership programme. He also facilitates SSR courses for the European External Action Service (EEAS). He holds a PhD from Cranfield University. He retired from the British Army as a Brigadier General in 2008. During his time in service he spent a total of 9 years working with NATO, EU and the UN. He was the EU Director of Operations for the first ESDP military operation, Op CONCORDIA (2003). As Commander of NATO’s mission in the Republic of Macedonia (2004-2005), he advised the Government on post-conflict reconstruction programmes and SSR. This role was expanded to the regional level when he was appointed NATO’s lead on SSR matters for the Western Balkans (2006-2008) and part-time SSR advisor to the former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, the UN Special Envoy, who led the political process to determine Kosovo’s future status (2006-2007). During the past ten years Dennis Blease has facilitated training for the UK’s Stabilisation Unit and has lectured on SSR at universities and security institutes throughout Europe, as well as in Palestine, Ethiopia and Bangladesh.

Articles Authored

Capacity building within partner security sectors: The place of governance (1 August 2018) - Does the EU support capacity building in the security sectors of third countries which have a governance element or is it content to play down or forgo that governance aspect? In Dennis Blease's opinion the former is SSR and the latter is not.

EU Support in Countering Corruption in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) Countries (1 November 2016) - During a recent European Security Defence College (ESDC) course in one of the EaP countries, I was privy to an animated discussion between senior members of the host nation military and some of the ESDC lecturers on the subject of countering corruption.