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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“British Defence Attaché, U.S.A.” – with Rear Admiral Tim Woods | SpyCast podcast - Listen or read transcript on Metacast
