Lecture
Major Mike Shearer
Monday 20.07.2026
Major Mike Shearer
NATO: Ready for a Showdown with Putin?
Monday 20.07.2026
How to watch
This lecture starts on 20 July at 7:00pm (UK).
Summary
Does a Cold War between Russia and NATO already exist, and is it heating up? Are NATO member states politically, fiscally, and militarily aligned to honour Articles 3, 4, and 5 of the NATO treaty?
Major Mike Shearer
Mike Shearer is a former career cavalry soldier who saw service during the Cold War in Germany and active service in the Gulf, Cyprus, Bosnia, and Northern Ireland. In 2007, Mike was the director of the Press Information Centre and later, Head of Strategic Influence and Communications for the British Military, working from the American Embassy in Baghdad. After leaving the army, Mike worked in the Defence Directorate for Communications in the Ministry of Defence as the principal plans officer for Afghanistan and the ministry communications lead for the NATO Summit. In 2016, Mike returned to Iraq to join the battle against Islamic State, running influence operations out of Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan.