Lieutenant General Steve Shepro Discusses NATO with ESD Community Members
April 15, 2024
As part of ESD’s new partnership with SMU’s John G. Tower Center for Public Policy and International Affairs, retired Lieutenant General Steve Shepro visited our campus to deliver a presentation and answer questions regarding the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and American foreign policy.
Upper school students, faculty, staff, and alumni filled the Bell Theater in anticipation of interacting with the previous 21st Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, the 32-nation alliance’s highest military authority. Shepro is currently the Vice President of Integrated Customer Solutions for Pratt & Whitney, overseeing domestic and worldwide business development of the aerospace company’s defense sector. He is also a teaching fellow at SMU’s Tower Center, a senior mentor for the NATO Defense College, a Council on Foreign Relations member, and a director of the Olmsted Foundation.
Shepro began by explaining the history, purpose, structure, and evolution of NATO, outlining the importance of having allies in your corner and building relationships that increase your strength as an organization or individual. Likening NATO to the management of close friendships, Shepro explained that “one of the most important things you can have in this world are friends.” As an extension of that, Shepro pointed to Article Five, the glue of NATO, which reinforces the notion that if you threaten one of us, we will collectively retaliate as one force.
During the Q&A portion, students asked how NATO handles relations with countries that are not part of the organization. Shepro noted that communication channels have changed in numerous ways. It’s much easier for foreign powers to influence public opinion in a world dominated by social media and digital interaction, impacting how countries control their narrative and reinforce their values.
Another scenario Shepro shared exemplifies the cruciality of interpersonal communication in a digital age. A response to delicate instances, such as a cyberattack, is contingent upon the gray area that exists within the parameters of escalation. Some officials may consider a cyberattack a national security threat, while others may interpret it as inciting war and a means to mobilize. In these moments, Shepro emphasizes the importance of testing your assumptions, having an open dialogue, and being receptive to feedback.
As the first visiting speaker in our partnership with SMU, Lieutenant General Steve Shepro delivered an incredibly informative, thought-provoking, and inspiring message to our students and fellow community members.
“The benefits of learning from an expert like that are so invaluable. Discovering that the world is complex, there is no easy solution, and that differences geopolitically need to be respected is not an easy talk. To me, it comes across as how important listening and thinking critically is to being successful,” attending alumni Chris Aryes ’97 said.
