‘Without Glory but Without Disaster’. Conference at RUSI

November 2017 marked 50 years since the British withdrawal from Aden. In early December, a conference was arranged by Dr Noel Brehony and hosted by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) at their headquarters in Whitehall. The packed programme was supported by Durham University, the British-Yemeni Society and MBI Al Jaber and brought together a number of Aden and Middle East specialists. Professor Clive Jones gave the keynote address and a number of panels followed. Jonathan was asked to deliver a paper on aspects of the military campaign and focused on some of the relatively few success stories including the Unified Command, the South Arabian Army and the final withdrawal. Other speakers looked at the change in HMG policy over the decade, the regional fallout from the withdrawal and the lesser-known aspects of the intelligence operations. The capacity audience, comprising many veterans of the political and military story, made a valuable contribution to the conference and much debate ensued.

For a more detailed look at the conference see rusi.org/event/without-glory-without-disaster-50-years-after-british-withdrawal-aden