Sir Michael Edward Quinlan, GCB.

A graduate of the Jesuits' Wimbledon College, he subsequently entered Merton College, University of Oxford where he earned a degree in Classics.

Widely respected and long-time British civil servant at the Ministry of Defence known for his thoughtful analysis of the UK's defence policy, nuclear weapons issues, ethics, and "just war" theory. He served as Permanent Under-Secretary of the British Ministry of Defence from 1988-1992.

He helped found the Centre for Defence Studies at King's College, University of London in 1990 and became a visiting professor and a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) at King's College.