Simon Akam ~ The British Army since 9/11

A revelatory, explosive new analysis of the military today!

Over the first two decades of the twenty-first century, Britain has changed enormously. During this time, the British Army fought two campaigns, in Iraq and Afghanistan, at considerable financial and human cost. Yet neither war achieved its objectives. Simon questions why, and provides challenging but necessary answers. Composed from assiduous documentary research, field reportage, and hundreds of interviews with many soldiers and officers who served, as well as the politicians who directed them, the allies who accompanied them, and the family members who loved and ― on occasion ― lost them, his book is a strikingly rich, nuanced portrait of one of our pivotal national institutions in a time of great stress.

This is as much a study about Britain, and about the politics of failure, as it is about the military.

Simon will be interviewed by Lt Colonel Keith Montgomery, Royal Engineers.

Simon is the author of The Changing of the Guard – The British Army since 9/11.

‘A rigorous investigation exposes an institution with a limited ability to change – which means things go badly wrong on the battlefield’. The Guardian

‘This author holds nothing back about who’s to blame for failure in Iraq and Afghanistan’. Max Hastings

Who was accountable for sending an undermanned and underequipped army to fight two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and who should be held accountable for what went wrong? These are the two key questions that underpin Simon Akam’s book … The result is a book that is full of gripping reportage and compelling personal stories. Times Literary Supplement

Find out more information about Simon here.   

Twitter @simonakam Instagram @simon.akam

This event is sponsored by Keith Thomas, for Premier Building & Restoration, Berwick-upon-Tweed  (01289 305300)

Guardian Review here