Lieutenant General (Retired) Sir Simon Mayall, KBE, CB is a former soldier in the British Army.

 

Much of his 40-year professional career was focussed on the Middle East, and he has strong family and academic interests in the region. His last appointments were as the British Government’s Defence Senior Adviser for the Middle East, and the Prime Minister’s Security Envoy to Iraq and the Kurdish Region.

 

He has written a book on Turkey’s post-Cold War security policy, and a thesis on Jihadist ideology and has most recently published Soldier in the Sand: A Personal History of the Modern Middle East, a combination of military memoir, family story, and an examination of the history, religion, ideologies and culture of the Middle East. He is a regular media contributor on Middle Eastern, defence and security issues and is Chair of the Council of the National Army Museum.