With a father in the Admiralty, Lord Alan spent his childhood around dockyards and naval bases including travelling to Singapore on a troop ship and almost being blown up by Malayan terrorists. He always wanted to go to sea and joined the navy in 1965. He first spent time in the Middle East as a midshipman which was incredibly dangerous but also exciting. Lord Alan’s next posting was to the Falklands with HMS Ardent where he was involved in bombarding Goose Green. He speaks candidly and in incredible detail about this time and how he felt as a young commanding officer knowing his ship was dangerously exposed. He talks about the enormous bravery of the crew and how he carried the weight of those killed and injured. Ultimately, they come under heavy fire and he gives the extremely difficult order to abandon ship. For his actions on HMS Ardent, Lord Alan received the Distinguished Service Cross.

Following this, Lord Alan then joins the Ministry of Defence where he witnessed the Hong Kong Handover, the Kosovo War, the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and by 2002 became the First Sea Lord for the invasion of Iraq. He recalls how it was fascinating to see intelligence come together but also how he could be under pressure to produce evidence.

Finally, Lord Alan joins Gordon Brown’s government as Security Minister. He brings incredible knowledge and direct experience to the roll, far above that of the civil servants and other ministers. He is proud his efforts have kept the country safer, though sad that it is not completely safe.