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.

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.