In the realm of defence and international security, few individuals possess the depth of experience and strategic insight that Colonel (Ret.) Richard Williams brings to the table. With a career spanning over five decades, Williams has served in a variety of roles, from military and NATO leadership positions to academic and consulting endeavours. Read on to learn more about his military path and his significant contributions at NATO in the fields of demining, demilitarisation of unexploded munitions and counter-terrorism.
A Military Path
Born in 1947 in Wisconsin in the United States, Williams was destined to become part of the military. Named after his great uncle, a young Canadian soldier who was killed in the Battle of the Somme during the first World War, he grew up looking up to his closest family members – his father, mother and sister –all of whom served in the military.
Williams joined the Army as a second lieutenant at the age of 19 and became an armoured cavalry captain when he was 21. He deployed to Vietnam, where he was injured badly twice by a mine and rocket propelled grenade. This experience was intense and painful, but it taught him how to locate and neutralise minefields in order to secure these areas and keep others safe.
Over the next 30 years, Williams built a distinguished career in the US Army, including serving overseas in NATO Allies like France, where he was a Special Military Attaché at the US Embassy in Paris, and the United Kingdom, where he worked as tactical instructor at the Royal Armoured Corps Centre in Dorset.
Later, he also pursued an academic career in international relations and security policy, including conducting research as a Senior National Security Fellow at Harvard University.
Bringing his demining experience to NATO
In 1997, Williams joined NATO as a principal coordinator for the Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme.
A major milestone in NATO history, the PfP programme was launched in 1994 to guide practical cooperation between NATO and non-NATO countries – a concrete example of the “hand of friendship” that NATO Allies had extended to their former adversaries on the other side of the Iron Curtain starting in 1990.
“The reason I was interested in this is because as a professor in Germany, I had travelled to a lot of postulant countries, which were attempting to become members of NATO,” Williams explains.
Immediately after his start, Williams was sent to Albania to assess the country’s need of assistance with the safe destruction of unexploded ammunition, which was spread across the country as a consequence of the widespread civil unrest that had taken place. Albania was littered with more than 600,000 looted weapons, and experts estimated that more than 180 hectares of land – equivalent to 360 football pitches – had been contaminated with unexploded ordnance.
“There was no map showing where those minefields were located, which were emplaced to protect Albanian weapons and munitions storage sites. It was an extraordinarily dangerous work. And since I had some experience in minefields myself, I know the danger that is involved.“
Williams came back to Brussels and helped convince the then 16 Allies to set up a trust fund to support the demining of the minefields. As a result, British soldiers trained Albanian military officers to clear minefields and dispose of unexploded ammunition, including chemical weapons. The project ended five years later and set a template for similar actions in other countries in the Balkans and Eastern Europe.
“Doing this work is important because it saves many lives, says Williams.
Learn more about NATO’s work on small arms and light weapons (SALW) and mine action (MA).
Countering terrorism after the 9/11 attacks
Williams briefs Defence Investment Division’s “Counter-Terrorism Technology” initiatives, 2004
Williams was working at NATO Headquarters on 11 September 2001. He remembers acutely the 9/11 attacks and their impact on NATO:
“That was a huge wake-up call – that business as usual wasn’t going to continue, that terrorism that exists in Afghanistan and other parts of the world was going to have to be dealt with.”
Although there had been deadly terrorist attacks on Allied territory in the 1980s and 1990s, the unprecedented scale of the 9/11 attacks shook NATO to its core. For Williams, “9/11 changed everything, and proved that the existence of NATO needed to continue, because we were going to face challenges in the future that could not be predicted.”
In 2004, Williams became the Deputy Director of the Defence Investment Division at NATO. In this role, he oversaw NATO’s efforts to help Allies develop high-priority counter-terrorism technology, missile defence, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
Russia’s war against Ukraine
Williams was not surprised by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. His distrust for Russia started to build already in 2000, after the sinking of the Russian submarine Kursk, one of Russia’s most serious naval disasters. He recalls the attempt by NATO to assist the crew’s escape and how it was met by Russia’s unwillingness to share any information. Instead of cooperating and accepting NATO’s assistance, Russia attempted to obtain intelligence sources from NATO.
“All of the while, [the Russians] were in fact much more dangerous, much more focused on obtaining information from us than doing otherwise,” he says.
Talking about the current situation in Ukraine, Williams explains that “the situation in Ukraine was very much destined to take place. They don’t consider Ukraine as a country. They consider Ukraine as a part of Russia.”
Life after NATO
Since his retirement from NATO in 2012, Williams has continued his dedication to enhancing international security through academia and consultancy. As a consultant, he provides strategic and operational military guidance for the planning, execution and analysis of NATO operations, training and exercises. He also intervenes frequently as a news media commentator, in the defence and international arenas.
Colonel (Ret.) Williams’ message for the Alliance’s 75th anniversary
“NATO is the only organisation that offers hope that peace can become a real possibility. Not just regionally, but more far reaching than that. This Alliance is strong. It consists of countries that have worked together for decades, have practised and fought together so they can prevail when employed.
My number one message for NATO is: invite Ukraine to join NATO as soon as the war is over. Set victory of Ukraine as the top priority of the Alliance. The Alliance cannot survive the loss of Ukraine.”
This article is part of the 75th anniversary #WeAreNATO series.
These interviews feature former NATO staff members who share their personal stories and first-hand experiences related to the Alliance’s key moments and historic turning points, such as the Cold War and 1989, the first out-of-area missions, partnerships, 9/11 and more.