Michael Quinlan
 Michael Quinlan      (civil servant, academic) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 11 August 1930 |
| Died | 26 February 2009 (Age 78) |
| Alma mater | Wimbledon College, Merton College (Oxford) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Spouse | Mary Finlay |
| Member of | Center for Strategic and International Studies, Königswinter/Speakers |
| Interests | • Just War • King's College London |
Michael Quinlan was a director of The Ditchley Foundation and a researcher at King's College London's Centre for Defence Studies.
As a former British defence strategist and former Permanent Under-Secretary of State (generally known as the Permanent Secretary) at the Ministry of Defence, he wrote and lectured on defence and matters of international security, especially nuclear weapon policies and doctrine, and also on concepts of 'Just War' and related ethical issues.
Early life
Quinlan was born on 11 August 1930 in Hampton, Middlesex, England[1] to Gerald and Roseanne Quinlan.[2] He was educated at Wimbledon College, the Jesuit boys' high school. From 1948 to 1952 he attended Merton College, Oxford, graduating with a Double First in Classics.[3] He completed his national service in the RAF[1] between 1952 and 1954.[2]
Civil Service career
In 1954, Quinlan joined the Air Ministry as a civil servant.[3] He was Private Secretary to two Chiefs of the Air Staff: Sir Thomas Pike from 1962 to 1963,[3] and Sir Charles Elworthy from 1963 to 1965. He was Deputy Secretary (policy and programmes) at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) from 1977 to 1981.[2] He was Permanent Under-Secretary at the MOD from 1988 to 1992.[1] These years saw the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union.[2]
Outside the Ministry of Defence he was Permanent Secretary, Department of Employment (1983–88); Deputy Secretary, HM Treasury (1981–82) and Under-Secretary, Cabinet Office (1974–77).[4] He was Permanent Secretary of the Department of Employment 1983–1988. He retired from the Civil Service in 1992.
Later life
On retirement, Quinlan became Director of the Ditchley Foundation, holding the position until 1999.[4]
He spent the autumn of 2000 in Washington DC at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. His special topic there was European Defence Cooperation; the Center published in 2001 his resulting book under that title. He also taught “Just War” concepts at Georgetown University.
In 2001, he became Chairman of The Tablet Trust, publisher of the Catholic newspaper The Tablet.
He was one of the world's foremost experts in deterrence theory, contributing to debate and books in this field. He also wrote his own book on this matter shortly before his death. His contributions were recognised by Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in a speech given on 17 March 2009.[5] Historian of government Peter Hennessy called him the leading in-house defence intellectual MOD has possessed since World War II.[6]
He died on 26 February 2009.[1]
References
- ↑ a b c d https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4904017/Sir-Michael-Quinlan.html
- ↑ a b c d https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/mar/02/sir-michael-quinlan-obituary
- ↑ a b c Levens, R.G.C., ed. (1964). Merton College Register 1900-1964. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. p. 394
- ↑ a b http://www.ditchley.co.uk/the-foundations/the-ditchley-foundation/former-directors
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7948367.stm
- ↑ http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/bdrc/nuclear/trident/2011_Feb_Hennessy_Cabinets_and_the_Bomb_Quinlan_Memorial_lecture.pdf
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