Colonel Mike Dewar is best known as the leading commentator of his generation on defence and counter terror issues on TV, radio and in the national press. This followed a distinguished Military career during which he saw active service in Cyprus, Borneo and Northern Ireland. He is also the author of 15 published works on military history, the ex Deputy Director of the World's leading think tank The International Institute of Strategic Studies and latterly a successful businessman. There are few such high profile people who have progressed so seamlessly from one walk of life to another. Not only is he immensely knowledgeable on a range of military subjects but he is superbly equipped to talk about how they apply to civil society in general and the business environment in particular.
Mike Dewar was commissioned into The Rifle Brigade in 1962. He was a platoon commander in Cyprus and in the successful jungle campaign in Borneo, an instructor at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, served in Berlin and Germany during the Cold War, was a Company Commander in Northern Ireland, served as General Nigel Bagnall's principal operations Staff Officer in the British Corps HQ at the height of the Cold War, commanded The Light Division Depot and The 2nd Battalion The Royal Green Jackets and was the first Colonel Defence Studies.
He left the military in 1990 to take up an appointment as Deputy Director of the prestigious International Institute for Strategic Studies in London where he became a familiar face on the nation's TV screens as the leading UK commentator on The Gulf Wars, Iraq, Northern Ireland, the Bosnian conflict and more recently Afghanistan. Not only was he able to draw on his military experience but he also travelled to many of these conflict zones as part of his duties at the IISS.
Mike Dewar is an established author on military history and contemporary military issues. His best known works include The British Army in Northern Ireland which has been required reading at several Staff Colleges for many years; A History of Deception in Warfare; A History of Urban Warfare; Brush Fire Wars and An Anthology of Military Quotations. He also writes regularly for the national press on current defence issues. He speaks twice a year in Dublin on the Anglo Irish peace process.
What is perhaps the most unusual aspect of his career is that Mike Dewar set up his own Publishing, Marketing and PR Company after leaving the IISS and he still runs this. His clients have included Fujitsu Defence and Security, The Harris Corporation of America, Supacat, The British Frozen Food Federation, Iceland, Waitrose, the MOD, BAE Systems and many smaller companies. It would be difficult to find someone so deeply experienced at the interface between the military and the business environment. He has seen it from both sides of the fence, has started his own company after a successful military career, in itself most unusual, and, by definition, is an expert in change management.
Deception in Warfare and how to detect it in business
The Anglo-Irish peace process and lessons for business
The application of military values in the business world
The impact of current terrorist threats to the UK business environment and how to mitigate it
As a mainstream current affairs award-winning journalist for RTE, Ireland's national radio & television station, I covered the Northern Ireland conflict & peace process over a period of almost 30 years. Journalistically I knew Col Mike Dewar as a strong, authoritative and valuable analyst of the British Army's role there. Having taken early retirement from RTE I run a course on the Northern Ireland conflict/peace process for American college students at a Chicago-based institute in Dublin called IES/Abroad. IES has more than 40 such colleges internationally.
Since it began in 2007 my course has normally run twice a year, in Spring and Autumn, and forms part of the students' university courses back home. The course centres on guest speakers from the 'coalface' of the N.I. conflict & peace process. Speakers prepare a talk on a given topic and take questions from students, who write an advance paper and post-talk assessment paper for each speaker. A very high standard of speaker and academic work is set. Speakers have included top-level Northern Irish and Irish Government figures such as Seamus Mallon, Ian Paisley Jnr., Liz O'Donnell, Dr Garret Fitzgerald, Bertie Ahern, Jane Morrice, Tim O'Connor; senior IRA & loyalist activists such as Ruairdhi O Bradaigh, Martin Ferris, Roy Garland; conflict victims and others. The course also has a focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a parallel example of conflict and, failed, peace-making.
From the start in 2007 I have invited Col Dewar to address the students on the role of the British Army in Northern Ireland and the outcome of the peace process. The class recommended reading list includes his bookThe British Army in Northern Ireland. Col Dewar's talks have always been well prepared, provocative, independent-minded, delivered with weight and authority and exceptionally well received by the students, who tend to start with a pro-nationalist bias. Typical student comments: 'The perspective from the British was a great way to end….' 'I can't believe he flew here to speak to us!'…'A very interesting speaker…great to hear his side'…'He is very patriotic…I do think it was good to hear such an adamant opinion'…'His perspective on the conflict as a British soldier was very interesting. It was unlike anything we had to hear'…'much needed militaristic viewpoint…'
I strongly recommend Col Mike Dewar as a speaker on issues around British military strategy, managing conflict and peace-making. His delivery is excellent and he brings notable weight, authority and value.
Brendan O’Brien BA, H Dip Ed., MA. Author: The Long War; Pocket History of the IRA; The Story of Ireland
A dynamic and versatile speaker, Josh is able to draw upon his experience and expertise to give inf…