Sir David Omand was at the very heart of the UK security services. From informing Margret Thatcher, the Argentine ships were heading to the Falklands, to overseeing British intelligence and defence at GCHQ, he has much to teach us about the essential purpose of spies. He was responsible to the Prime Minister for the professional health of the intelligence community, national counter-terrorism strategy and “homeland security”. He served for seven years on the Joint Intelligence Committee. He was Permanent Secretary of the Home Office from 1997 to 2000, and before that Director of GCHQ. Having left the service, he now trains intelligence analysts and lectures as a Professor of War Studies at King’s College London since 2005.
His most recent book, How Spies Think: Ten Lessons in Intelligence, has received wide acclaim not only for giving us insight into the secrets of British Spooks but also for a masterclass in how to think.
“Sir David Omand is undoubtedly one of the most able people to have served in British government since the Second World War” ― TLS