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About the author Acknowledgements
Gustav Gressel joined ECFR’s Berlin office as a visiting The author is indebted to ECFR’s Wider Europe team for
fellow in the Wider Europe programme. Before joining the rich and fruitful discussions and comments on my
ECFR he worked as a desk officer for international security work. I am especially thankful to Vessela Tcherneva and
policy and strategy in the Bureau for Security Policy at the Ivan Krastev, who have supported me throughout my time
Austrian Ministry of Defence from 2006 to 2014, and as a as a visiting fellow at ECFR and beyond. Without their
research fellow of the Commissioner for Strategic Studies support, guidance, and advice, this paper would never have
in the Austrian MoD from 2003 to 2006. He was also a been published. And I cannot forget the editorial team
research fellow at the International Institute for Liberal of ECFR, above all Hannah Stone, whose nerves I have
Politics in Vienna. Before his academic career he served five continuously wrecked with military acronyms and special
years in the Austrian Armed Forces. terms. I thank them for their patience.
Gustav earned a masters degree in political science at I want to thank Dominik Jankowski, Pawel Luzin, and Mar-
Salzburg University and a PhD in Strategic Studies at the tin Malek for the interesting discussions we had on Russia’s
Faculty of Military Sciences and Officer Training at the military modernisation and strategic thought. I want to
National University of Public Service, Budapest. He is the thank many of my former colleagues at the Austrian Minis-
author of numerous publications on security policy and try of Defence who have shared their thoughts and insights
strategic affairs. with me. In particular, the Department for Armament and
Defence Technology (Amt für Rüstung und Wehrtechnik)
and Dr Peter Sequard-Base have considerably enhanced my
knowledge and understanding of the many technical issues
that influence this debate.
But my sincerest thoughts are with the man who like no
other supported, shaped, challenged, and advised me, as
my superior, mentor, and friend: Professor Erich Reiter,
who passed away, much too soon, on 10 July 2015.
The author bears sole responsibility for any mistakes or
omissions in this report, and the views expressed in this
report are not necessarily shared by the individuals listed
above.
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