Colonel Tim Collins to deliver public lecture to Liverpool University

23/04/2013

Former British army commander, Colonel Tim Collins OBE, will consider the intelligence and security challenges presented by future conflicts and terror threats in a public lecture hosted by the University of Liverpool.

Rousing speech

Colonel Tim Collins' distinguished career in the British army lasted more than 20 years. He is best known for his rousing speech to his troops on the eve of the second Gulf war in 2003 which opened with the lines: "We are here not to conquer but to liberate". The speech, which reportedly hangs in the Oval office of the White House, also inspired a letter to Colonel Collins from Prince Charles.

Born and raised in Belfast, Colonel Collins graduated from Queens University Belfast before joining the Army in 1981. He served in Germany, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar as well as completing two tours of duty in Northern Ireland. He received an OBE before he left the army in August 2004. He is currently CEO and co-founder of New Century, an intelligence-based security services company which draws on his knowledge of counterinsurgency operations.

Eminent and respected thinkers

Colonel Tim Collins is one of five eminent and respected thinkers invited to consider possible future challenges for 2020 with respect to the issues of global security and conflict. Each speaker will consider what the future holds with particular reference to their special interests - policing, human rights, defence and media.

The lecture series, 'What Does 2020 Look Like?', will also feature David Milliband, former British Labour Party politician and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; The Lord Dannatt, British Army Chief of General Staff from 2006-2009; and Rageh Omaar, the Somali-born British writer and world affairs correspondent. The series has already featured Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, and counter-terrorism expert, Maajid Nawaz.

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