Prime Minister's National Security Adviser
What are you most proud of achieving during 2011?
The biggest single issue of my year has been the Libya crisis. It was, of course, an enormous collective effort across the government.
The armed forces performed magnificently, and the RAFís newest jet, the Typhoon, really showed its ability in the air campaign. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) did heroic work in evacuating British citizens, and in sustaining a broad coalition of countries in support of the operation. The Department for International Development (DfID) was an international leader in post-conflict stabilisation planning, as well as dealing with the humanitarian emergency. Our small team in the Cabinet Office brought all this together for ministers, and ensured ñ through 62 ministerial meetings and 82 at official level, in just six months ñ that all the governmentís efforts were tightly focused on achieving the overall objective. And it was a successful campaign. When I visited Tripoli and Benghazi with the prime minister in October, it was a thrill to see the joy of Libyan people that they were free, their determination to build a better country, and their gratitude for the help they had received from Britain and other countries.
How has the shape and structure of the government's security operations changed during 2011?
2011 was the year the National Security Council (NSC) really came into its own. 2010 had been about getting the new structures up and running, and helping the new ministerial team to immerse itself in the details of all the main national security issues. In 2011 the NSC showed that it could both oversee a hot crisis in Libya, and sustain a regular pattern of meetings to set policy on a surprising range of issues: strategy in Afghanistan; classic foreign policy issues like Russia and Iran; adopting a new counter-terrorism strategy and dealing with threats from places like Yemen and Somalia; the Green Paper on Justice and Security; policy on cyber threats, and much more.
The group of permanent secretaries from departments represented on the NSC (which we call the NSC Officials Group) has met regularly to prepare ministerial discussions, and also to do longer-term policy thinking. The sub-committee on emerging powers, chaired by the foreign secretary, has involved a wide range of departments in discussion about how Britain can improve its trade and investment in the fast-growing economies.
My own view, as I step down from this job, is that the NSC structure has proved its worth and is here to stay.
What is the most important thing the NSC must achieve during 2012?
The Olympics will obviously be a huge priority. The Games will be a great opportunity to showcase the best of Britain. The scale and high profile of the event will also make the Games a major challenge for the security community. We are preparing actively to deal with any threat that may arise, in order to ensure public safety.
Beyond that, I predict that the threats in cyber space from criminals and states will continue to grow in 2012. And there are bound to be challenges in the Middle East or elsewhere.
How is the civil service likely to change during 2012?
In the parts of the civil service I deal with, resource pressures and unpredictable demands put a premium on active priority setting.
I have also been very impressed by the progress made by the intelligence agencies in working together as a single community, whether it is on corporate services or in joint teams to address terrorist threats. I am sure that this will be increasingly necessary in the rest of the civil service as well.
Which historical, mythological or contemporary figure would you most like to join for Christmas dinner?
Why not Charles Dickens, to raise a glass to his 200th birthday? I'm a great fan of his books, and if he talks anything like he writes, he would be a great dinner companion.