About the Author

RICK STEINKE

COLONEL (U.S. ARMY, RET) RALPH RICHARD “RICK” STEINKE is a lifelong public servant, dedicated to the security of the United States and its allies. His service includes twenty-eight years in the United States Army and thirteen years as a U.S. Department of Defense civilian.  A Big Rapids High School (Michigan) Distinguished Alumnus and former Harvard National Security Fellow, he most recently served as the Associate Dean at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, a German-American security cooperation partnership located in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. The Marshall Center’s mission is to build international government capacity and networks to counter terrorism, transnational organized crime, cyber threats and other national security challenges.

Colonel Steinke’s personal passions include faith, family, fishing, snow skiing and travel.

He can be contacted at Ricksteinke@alumni.harvard.edu.

NEXT MISSION:
U.S. Defense Attaché to France

by Colonel (USA, Ret) Ralph R. ``Rick`` Steinke

“Rick Steinke pulls back the curtain on diplomacy in France. Read what Ian Fleming could only pretend to know about Paris! Experience the challenges of representing the U.S. Department of Defense and Armed Forces to a country that the United States government has suggested it will ‘punish’ due to disagreements over the Iraq War, in 2003. Become Colonel Steinke’s personal ‘attaché’ as you read this story—walk with him through events that no international spy novelist could capture, no international fiction writer could develop, and no motion picture producer could film. Nothing beats reality. Nothing.”

 

Dennis Mansfield

Author, Coach, and Speaker

Gallery

NEXT MISSION

FORWARD

Few books have been written about military attaché duties. A character portraying a military attaché may turn up in a spy novel, an international political thriller, or more often than not, a motion picture placed in a military setting. Those portrayals are often audience-accepted caricatures rather than factual reflections and accurate composites of the real deal world of attaché duty. This memoir adds real-world color, based on actual experiences, to the intentional grays presented in those venues. Travel with Colonel Rick Steinke and his family as they arrive in Paris and the author describes taking on a new military mission during what was arguably the most difficult period of U.S-France relations in the post-World War II period.

 

  • Get the inside view of the nuanced diplomatic conflicts that occur while serving in a major U.S. embassy. See what it is like and experience the challenges of representing the U.S. Department of Defense and Armed Forces to a country that the United States government has suggested it will “punish” due to disagreements over the Iraq War, in 2003.
  • Visit the meticulously maintained and sacred American Battle Monument Commission cemeteries in Europe and see what it’s like to plan, organize, and execute the Sixtieth Anniversary of D-Day ceremonies, including a visit by the President of the United States.
  • Experience parachuting into the Normandy countryside near St. Maire-Eglise, made famous in World War II by American paratroopers’ liberation of that Normandy town.
  • Get a glimpse of U.S. Congressional delegations visiting the U.S. embassy in Paris and discover the importance of personal relationships in high-stakes diplomatic relations.
  • Read about particular experiences such as attending English-speaking churches in Paris and sense what skiing is like in the Valle Blanche, a high-altitude and physically challenging glacier with ever-changing seen and unseen deep crevasses in the shadow of Western Europe’s highest mountain, Mont Blanc.

In a sense, become Colonel Steinke’s personal “attaché” as you read this story—walk with him through events that no international spy novelist could capture, no international fiction writer could develop, and no motion picture producer could film.

 

Nothing beats reality. Nothing.

 

Dennis Mansfield

Author, Coach, and Speaker

 

http://www.DennisMansfield.com

https://www.facebook.com/DennisMansfieldAuthor

Testimonials & Reviews

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK

Susan Eisenhower

CEO, The Eisenhower Group

“I loved NEXT MISSION! It is part lighthearted memoir, part insider’s guide to diplomacy, and part cautionary tale of the dangers of allowing politics to stand in the way of sound diplomatic work.  What emerges is a very interesting and engaging work, shedding light on the daily work of America’s diplomats. I hope people come away from reading NEXT MISSION with a new appreciation for the intricacies and nuances of foreign relations and, just maybe, a new appreciation for our relationship with France and the French people.”

Michael Schmitt

Charles H. Stockton Professor, U.S. Naval War College and Francis Lieber Distinguished Scholar, U.S. Military Academy at West Point

“Colonel Rick Steinke recounts his fascinating professional and personal journey as the Defense Attaché to France during the most strained period with our oldest ally since Charles de Gaulle expelled U.S. forces in 1966. From politics, international relations and military affairs to Alpine skiing and overseas family life, NEXT MISSION is a ‘can’t put down page-turner’ that should be made required reading for military officers, diplomats and anyone else stationed abroad.”

Peter N. Lengyel

President and CEO, Safran USA (former defense security cooperation officer, U.S. Embassy France)

“Rick led what was widely considered the most highly functioning defense and security attaché team in theater during a time of intense U.S.-France bilateral relations. This book shows why personal leadership counts.”

Major General (U.S. Army, Ret) Gordon B. “Skip” Davis

Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Defense Investment, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

“A frank, marvelously descriptive, and heart-warming rendition of what it means to be a Military Attaché and an Army Family in a foreign country. Colonel (Retired) Rick Steinke’s wonderful tale of his time in France as Defense and Army Attaché during a time of troubled American-French relations is a wonderful tribute to the professionalism, resilience, resourcefulness and character of our military and foreign service members and their families.”

LT GENERAL MARK O. SCHISSLER, USAF (RET)

Former NATO Deputy Chairman of the Military Committee and Harvard National Security Fellow

“This is a remarkably candid view ‘behind the scenes’ of a military family serving in Paris on an important mission for America. Rick Steinke presents a fascinating storyline that’s easy to follow, shows the uncommon and even dangerous challenges that a military officer on attaché duties has to overcome, and adds incredible historical details along the way. It reads like a novel – I could not put it down!! Should be required reading for officers young and old.”

MAJOR GENERAL (FRENCH ARMY, RET) VINCENT DESPORTES

Former Commandant, French War College and author, Entrer en stratégie and Deciding in the Dark

“This extraordinary book is by an officer and a gentleman who passionately served his country while also respecting France. Colonel Rick Steinke personifies the meaning of duty. At their core, his responsibilities were every bit as demanding as they were dynamic and exciting.”

Learn More About Military Attaché Duties

With Rick Steinke and His Memoir NEXT MISSION!