Air Vice-Marshal (Ret’d) Mike Hart CBE

Mike Hart spent more than three decades as an intelligence officer in the Royal Air Force. He recently retired as an Air-Vice Marshal.

His experience ranges from the last years of the Cold War to interventions in the Middle East, Balkans, Afghanistan, Libya, East Africa, the emergence of sub-threshold confrontation with Russia, and counter terrorism in the UK and worldwide. He had the great privilege of running intelligence training for Defence. Much of his experience has been in joint appointments. He built strong relationships with international partners and allies and much of his operational service was spent embedded in US or NATO headquarters. He has wide experience of the application of Air Power and ISR, of how the UK and allies conduct the business of defence and intelligence, and the nexus between policy, operations, intelligence, and law.

Mike is particularly interested in the advantages proxy warfare offers regional powers in their competition with the west, grey zone warfare, and the implications of confrontation with Russia for European and Transatlantic geopolitics and deterrence.

He recently completed a term as a Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Geopolitics in Cambridge and participated in the Brenthurst Foundation’s Dialogue on African Security.

Mike was educated at the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Kings’ College, London.