Talk with former Chief of the Defence Staff

28th March 2022

Back to News

As the world watches on to see how the Ukraine crisis unfolds, The British Forces Foundation has invited General Sir Nick Carter, former Chief of the Defence Staff, to share his insight into that and the challenges the UK's Armed Forces face today.

The lunch at the Cavalry & Guards Club, Piccadily, takes place on Thursday May 5th and includes a Q & A session.

Tickets for the event, which starts at 12.30 pm and concludes at 2.30 pm, are priced £120 per person or £1,000 for a table of ten. The lunch will raise money for the British Forces Foundation and the Burma Star Memorial Fund. The two charities recently entered into a cooperation agreement and this event marks the first joint venture between the two.

To book your place, or for further information, email Mark Seymour at marks@bff.org.uk

The speaker stepped down as Chief of the Defence Staff (the professional head of the UK Armed Forces) at the end of 2021, after a military career spanning 45 years. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, shortly before stepping down, Sir Nick referred to “Russia as the acute threat” and his fears that a miscalculation could lead to conflict.

A moderniser and reformer, Sir Nick led a programme of transformational change, designed to re-position Britain’s Armed Forces to face the threats of today, where Technology, Cyber and Space play an increasing role. An expert in strategic leadership, crisis management and the future of warfare, he is exceptionally well placed to comment on the current geopolitical situation.

General Sir Nick Carter is an accomplished strategic leader and advisor. He has more than 45 years military experience culminating at the top of his profession as the Chief of the Defence Staff where he was the principal military advisor to the Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Defence and the National Security Council, and the Head of the UK Armed Forces.

General Sir Nick also served as the Chief of the General Staff, professional Head of the British Army. He is an expert speaker on Defence and Geopolitical Affairs, Transformational and Strategic Leadership and Inclusivity.

He has commanded on operations at every level of command and in a variety of different contexts, including the Troubles in Northern Ireland, UN peacekeeping in Cyprus, NATO peace enforcement in Bosnia and Kosovo, and commanding the UK-led Brigade in Iraq in 2003-04. He has multiple years of experience in Afghanistan since 9/11 until the present day, designing approaches to counterinsurgency and acting as the facilitator to build confidence between the Afghan and Pakistani governments.

A moderniser and reformer, General Nick is a leader who shapes events rather than be shaped by them, using data, strategic acumen, and operational insight and experience to create and sell a compelling vision of the future challenge, aligning teams behind a creative concept for why and how the institution must transform at pace. His hallmarks are the Defence element of the most recent Integrated Review, the fundamental restructuring of the British Army (known as Army 2020) following the national Defence Reviews of 2010 and 2015, and the design of the Armed Forces’ support to the national COVID-19 response.

He initiated and drove significant cultural change, instituting a strategic culture, a programme of empowerment and Maximizing Talent. A strong advocate for equality of opportunity, enabling everyone to maximise their talent, he was recognised by Business in the Community naming him Gender Champion in 2017 after making and winning the case for legislation to be changed to open up all roles in the military to all people based on ability and potential rather than outdated notions of gender.