"As a society, we will always face difficulty, we will find ways of getting through it, and we will endure. That is the human condition."

David Omand is a Visiting Professor of War Studies at King’s College London. He has held many top roles in the civil service including as Director of GCHQ and Permanent Secretary of the UK Home Office.

He has also served as Permanent Secretary in the Cabinet Office as UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator. In the MOD he was the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Policy, and was Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Defence during the Falklands conflict.

"David Omand is exactly the man you need in a crisis" — Rory Stewart