Career in the Royal Navy and the Importance of Intelligence

Summary

Rear Admiral Tim Woods (Biography) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his role as Britain’s Defence Attaché to the United States. Tim previously served as the British Defence Attaché in Kyiv, Ukraine. 

What You’ll Learn

Intelligence

• What does a Defense Attaché do
• How intelligence impacts military strategy
• Admiral Woods’ experience of the 2021 Russian invasion of Ukraine
• What it’s like to constantly be surveilled

Reflections

• The power of relationships and connections 
• Sacrificing personal privacy for national security

And much, much more …

Resources 

SURFACE SKIM

*SpyCasts*

• Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East vs. West with Calder Walton (2023)
• Ukraine & the Alliance with NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence David Cattler (2023) 
• Ukraine & Intelligence: One Year On with Shane Harris (2023)

*Beginner Resources*

• What Is The Five Eyes Alliance?, K. Haan, Forbes (2023) [Short article]
• Russian invasion of Ukraine: A visual timeline of the war, ABC News, YouTube (2023) [6 min. video]
• What is a defence attaché?, Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (2007) [Backgrounder]

DEEPER DIVE

Books

• The Secret History of the Five Eyes: The untold story of the shadowy international spy network, R. Kerbaj (Blink Publishing, 2022)
• The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine, S. Plokhy (Basic Books, 2017)
• Defense of the West, S. Sloan (Manchester University Press, 2016)

Primary Sources 

• UK defence policy and the role of the armed forces (2023)
• Integrated Review Refresh 2023: Responding to a more contested and volatile world (2023)
• Defence Command Paper 2023: Defence’s response to a more contested and volatile world (2023)
• Statement on the Salisbury & Amesbury Investigation by Neil Basu (2018) 
• Strategic Defence and Security Review: First Annual Report (2010)
• Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine (1991) 

*Wildcard Resource*

• Midway (1976) 
• A (dramatic) retelling of the 1942 Battle of Midway, one of the most critical naval battles of the Second World War – A battle that perfectly exhibits the importance of intelligence in a time of war. 

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