- Michael Quinlan (civil servant)
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Sir Michael Quinlan, GCB (11 August 1930 – 26 February 2009) was a distinguished former British defence strategist and former Permanent Under-Secretary of State (generally known as the Permanent Secretary) at the British Ministry of Defence, who has written 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.
Quinlan was educated at Wimbledon College and Merton College, Oxford. He married Mary Finlay in 1965, with whom he had four children.
On retirement from the Civil Service in 1992, Quinlan became Director of the Ditchley Foundation. In 2001 he became Chairman of the The Tablet Trust, publisher of the Catholic newspaper The Tablet.
Quinlan 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.[citation needed]
Offices held
Government offices Preceded by
Sir Kenneth BarnesPermanent Secretary of the Department of Employment
1983 – 1988Succeeded by
Sir Geoffrey HollandPreceded by
Sir Clive WhitmorePermanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence
1988 - 1992Succeeded by
Sir Christopher FranceReferences
- Biography on the website of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- Another biography at the website of the Oxford Leverhulme Programme on the ‘Changing Character of War’.
- Tam Dalyell (28 February 2009). "Sir Michael Quinlan: Civil servant and defence strategist who explored the concept of the Just War". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sir-michael-quinlan-civil-servant-and-defence-strategist-who-explored-the-concept-of-the-just-war-1634307.html. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
- "Sir Michael Quinlan". Daily Telegraph. 1 March 2009. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4904017/Sir-Michael-Quinlan.html. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
- Sue Cameron (13 March 2009). "British civil servant who led Europe to cut its nuclear arsenals". Financial Times. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/59f83550-100b-11de-a8ae-0000779fd2ac.html. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
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