About Colonel Richard Kemp

Colonel Richard Kemp has been actively involved in fighting terrorists around the globe for 35 years. He was Commander of all British Forces in Afghanistan with responsibility for counter insurgency operations, disarmament and reintegration programs, development and training of the Afghan national security forces, reconstruction and defense diplomacy. He set up a joint counter terrorist operation with U.S., Canadian and Afghan forces that achieved major operational success against Al Qaida terrorists in Kabul.

He spent the last five years of his three decade military career at the UK Cabinet Office in Whitehall. He was a member of the Cobra national crisis management committee and chairman of the Cobra Intelligence Group. He was an active member of the ground-breaking UK-U.S. Joint International Security Strategy Group. He headed the Joint Intelligence Committee’s international and domestic terrorism team and the Iraq politics and security team, responsible for UK national intelligence assessments. He made many fact-finding trips to Iraq, and in 2005 worked in Baghdad, Fallujah and northern Iraq on intelligence and counter terrorism for the US Ambassador.

Previously Colonel Kemp completed a total of 14 active duty tours as a military commander in Northern Ireland and in many global hotspots. Working alongside U.S. forces, he took part in the liberation of Kuwait in 1991. He commanded British troops in the United Nations Protection Force in Bosnia and was counter terrorism adviser to the Macedonian government. He was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his work on the July 2005 London bombings and in Iraq; Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for intelligence work in Northern Ireland; and was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery for his action during the Bosnia conflict.

Colonel Kemp is Special Adviser on international terrorism to the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, a commentator in the national and international print and broadcast media on defense and security, and author of “Attack State Red”, a best-selling book about the conflict in Afghanistan.

With Colonel Kemp’s years of service has come a unique understanding of the critical decisions military leaders must make during times of war including decisions of life and death, of morality, humanity and ethics. An example of this is when in 2009, Colonel Kemp carefully studied Israel’s actions in Gaza - a defensive operation following years of unrelenting Hamas rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli civilians. When he heard that former Judge Richard Goldstone was conducting an investigation into Israel’s operation on behalf of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Colonel Kemp immediately offered up his findings and valuable analysis. Judge Goldstone declined the offer. A few months later, the Human Rights Council was holding an emergency session to discuss Judge Goldstone’s findings – also known as the Goldstone Report. Given that it was an open session, Colonel Kemp was able to present his unbiased analysis. He has sought to provide objective, expert commentary and analysis on that subject as well as more widely on Israel’s security including conflict with Hizballah and the Gaza “flotilla” incident.