Alan Munro – författare

Presents unique insights from key player in first Gulf War, who continues to have an extremely high profile. There is renewed interest in diplomacy of first Gulf War in wake of current Iraq crisis. As Iraqi troops surged into Kuwait in 1990, British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Alan Munro played a vital role in both forging and maintaining a formidable coalition to evict them. Never before had Western and Arab states fought side by side against another Arab country. He reveals here all the behind-the-scenes manouevring that made this possible. He recalls with verve and candour the frantic phone calls, the diplomatic interplay, the confusion of the battlefield, and the difficulties of dealing with the international media. Munro surrounds his revelations with a thoughtful and informed analysis of the international politics of the Middle East. With Western armies once more deployed in the Gulf, this new updated paperback edition of Munro's book provides a timely reminder of the pressures, pitfalls and potential of international diplomacy in the region.

Presents unique insights from key player in first Gulf War, who continues to have an extremely high profile. There is renewed interest in diplomacy of first Gulf War in wake of current Iraq crisis. As Iraqi troops surged into Kuwait in 1990, British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Alan Munro played a vital role in both forging and maintaining a formidable coalition to evict them. Never before had Western and Arab states fought side by side against another Arab country. He reveals here all the behind-the-scenes manouevring that made this possible. He recalls with verve and candour the frantic phone calls, the diplomatic interplay, the confusion of the battlefield, and the difficulties of dealing with the international media. Munro surrounds his revelations with a thoughtful and informed analysis of the international politics of the Middle East. With Western armies once more deployed in the Gulf, this new updated paperback edition of Munro's book provides a timely reminder of the pressures, pitfalls and potential of international diplomacy in the region.

In Fast Jets on the Front Line, Alan Munro reflects on his time in the RAF and the Cold War jets which he flew. Having started his career after basic training on the Gloster Javelin with No. 228 OCU, Alan went on to become a flying instructor at No. 1 Flying Training School, Linton-on-Ouse. But with the UK’s withdrawal from East of Suez, he found himself with a ground posting and questioning whether he would see front-line flying again. Luckily for Alan, this wasn’t the case and he was soon posted to Lightnings and Harriers before returning to 228 OCU to fly on Phantoms.It is Alan’s time on the Phantoms that is the main crux of this book. He discusses how the withdrawal of Lightnings from the air force changed the Phantom’s role from attack to defence and the impact this had on Phantom squadrons like 29 Squadron which he flew on. A move to RAF Germany saw Alan find the front-line action he craved during his ground posting and he joined 19 Squadron as they became operational and part of RAF Germany’s Battle Flight. During his time with RAF Germany, Alan flew with a number of NATO countries and he recounts tales of squadron exchanges. This then led to a tour at the NATO Tactical Leadership Programme in Jever, north Germany before he finished his time in the RAF on the Tornado GR1 in the early 1990s.His book is illustrated throughout with photographs from the author’s private collection and is a must for fans of the Cold War era fighters.

These thought-provoking first-hand accounts come from two friends, George Robertson and Alan Munro, who joined the RAF together on the same day in 1963, went through basic and advanced flying training together and then followed two parallel but different careers. As the book is written jointly, you get two different perspectives on the main RAF front-line roles in the Cold War. They describe going through the RAF pilot training system in the 1960s, the aircraft they flew, and the bases they operated from. After completing advanced flying training on the Folland Gnat at RAF Valley in Anglesey they followed different paths from then on.George went to the Canberra Conversion Unit (OCU) at RAF Bassingbourne and then to RAF Luqa in Malta to fly the Canberra PR9 in the reconnaissance role. Alan to RAF Leuchars to convert on to the Gloster Javelin. As the years progressed, they both gained experience in most of the front-line aircraft and roles. George flew the Phantom FGR2 from its early days in service in the strike-attack roles with three different Phantom squadrons as both squadron pilot and flight commander. After his Javelin tour, Alan became an instructor on the Jet Provost but later came back to the front line in the air-defence role. They each have interesting views on the Phantom’s strengths and weaknesses in both roles.After completing RAF Staff College, George did a ground tour in the Ministry of Defence Operational Requirements Branch in the early days of the Tornado development. He experienced at first hand the RAF procurement system of the day and the pros and cons of a trinational programme. Alan flew the Harrier and the Tornado and was an instructor on the NATO tactical leadership programme. George took over 6 Squadron at RAF Coltishall on the Jaguar in its early years of squadron service. He took the Jaguar trans-Atlantic on two occasions to the Red Flag and Maple Flag exercises.After leaving the RAF they joined different airlines and continued their flying careers, having to make the transition from single-seat fighter operations to operating a large aircraft with passengers and crew. They both became specialists, George as a type rating examiner and human factors instructor and Alan as a consultant on airline safety and regulatory matters. The difficulties in transferring to civilian flying from military and the authors’ comparative experiences are discussed in detail. Mastering The Cold War Jets is both informative, entertaining and fascinating to read.