“British Defence Attaché, U.S.A.” – with Rear Admiral Tim Woods

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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