SummaryRear 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 LearnIntelligence
- 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*
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Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East vs. West with Calder Walton (2023)
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Ukraine & the Alliance with NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence David Cattler (2023)
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Ukraine & Intelligence: One Year On with Shane Harris (2023)
*Beginner Resources*
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What Is The Five Eyes Alliance?, K. Haan, Forbes (2023) [Short article]
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Russian invasion of Ukraine: A visual timeline of the war, ABC News, YouTube (2023) [6 min. video]
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What is a defence attaché?, Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (2007) [Backgrounder]
DEEPER DIVEBooks
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The Secret History of the Five Eyes: The untold story of the shadowy international spy network, R. Kerbaj (Blink Publishing, 2022)
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The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine, S. Plokhy (Basic Books, 2017)
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Defense of the West, S. Sloan (Manchester University Press, 2016)
Primary Sources
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UK defence policy and the role of the armed forces (2023)
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Integrated Review Refresh 2023: Responding to a more contested and volatile world (2023)
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Defence Command Paper 2023: Defence’s response to a more contested and volatile world (2023)
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Statement on the Salisbury & Amesbury Investigation by Neil Basu (2018)
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Strategic Defence and Security Review: First Annual Report (2010)
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Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine (1991)
*Wildcard Resource*
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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.