General Sir Nicholas Carter GCB, CBE, DSO, former Head of the UK Armed Forces, has become a Trustee of RUSI in an appointment confirmed at the Institute’s 2022 AGM.
An accomplished strategic leader and advisor, General Sir Nick Carter’s 45 years’ military experience culminated in his appointment as the Chief of the Defence Staff where, apart from commanding all UK Armed Forces, he was the principal military advisor to the Prime Minister, the National Security Council, and the Secretary of State for Defence. He is an expert on defence and geopolitical Affairs, transformational and strategic leadership, and inclusivity.
He has commanded operations at every level and in a variety of different contexts, including Northern Ireland, UN peacekeeping in Cyprus, NATO peace enforcement in both Bosnia and Kosovo. He also commanded the UK-led Brigade in Iraq in 2003-04, as well as gaining multiple years of experience in Afghanistan, commanding 55,000 NATO troops and marines in the south of the country during the surge, designing approaches to counter insurgency and acting as the key facilitator at critical moments between the Afghan and Pakistani governments.
In his role as CDS he led significant military diplomacy in the UN, in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, including being the first CDS in over a decade to develop a relationship with his Chinese opposite number, the Chief of CMC Joint Staff Department Li Zoucheng. He led the Defence element of the most recent Integrated Review, the largest uplift in Defence spending since the end of the Cold War; and oversaw the design of the Armed Forces’ support to the national COVID-19 response.
As well as his appointment as a RUSI Trustee, Sir Nick became a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in California in September 2022.
Commenting on the appointment, RUSI’s Chair, Sir David Lidington said:
It’s a pleasure to welcome Sir Nick to RUSI’s Board of Trustees. He brings an unrivalled range of experience to bear and I know his perspective will make a significant contribution to our work encouraging debate, and providing options on critical issues in national and international defence and security.
The Rt Hon Sir David Lidington KCB CBE
Chair