David Omand was the first UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator, responsible to the Prime Minister for the professional health of the intelligence community, national counter-terrorism strategy and "homeland security". He served for seven years on the Joint Intelligence Committee. He was Permanent Secretary of the Home Office from 1997 to 2000, and before that Director of GCHQ.
David Omand is one of Britain's most distinguished public servants
- he combines deep experience from an exceptional career in public
service with a rare capacity for communicating complexity, and the
challenges of government and intelligence. He is exactly the man
you need in a crisis
*Rory Stewart*
Piercingly insightful, brilliantly lucid and illuminating,
frightening and wise. Professor Sir David Omand has spent his life
working at the very heart of the state and he brings this unique
historical perspective to disasters that have befallen - and could
yet befall - the nation and the wider world. From nuclear meltdown
to apocalyptic cyber-attacks, from pandemics to the drums of war,
here is a remarkable record of how the threads of society can be
held firm in the darkest days. He writes with passion, fierce
intelligence, sometimes with anger but also, fundamentally, with an
optimistic vision: civilisation can prevail
*Sinclair McKay, Sunday Times-bestselling author of Dresden*
An extraordinary achievement. Probably the best book ever written
on crisis management which, as Sir David Omand persuasively argues,
mostly amounts to "crisis survival". A superlative blend of his
personal experience of modern crises and historical insights.
Essential reading for our post-Covid-19 world
*Christopher Andrew*
An amazing book. Timely, essential and important. The brilliantly
insightful David Omand draws on his unmatched experience to explore
the complexities of crisis. He shows us how poor preparation leads
to failure, but applied intelligence saves lives. There is a lesson
for all of us on every page, moreover it's a fascinating read
*Richard Aldrich, author of GCHQ*
As the world belatedly wakes up to the importance of resilience,
this book is the instruction manual we all need. Leaders, in
particular, should take note. It will be your imagination,
ownership and example that will be decisive as we fight to defend
that most precious of things: normality
*Sir Alex Younger, Chief of MI6*
If anyone knows how to handle a catastrophe, it's the former
director of GCHQ
*i*
David Omand was at the heart of British government for decades with
a ringside seat for many of the crises of that period. This book
distils that rare and valuable experience. There are useful
insights on virtually every page - along with handy checklists for
those tasked with decision-making during a crisis and even a guide
to protect one's own household. As a nation we should be taking our
resilience and preparedness much more seriously. This important
book is an indispensable guide as to how we could do it
*Lord Toby Harris*
We live in a world where crises have become the new normal. Here is
the survival guide you need! David Omand distils a lifetime's
experience at the heart of British security into practical advice
for governments, businesses and families on how to prepare for, and
bounce back from, the disruptive events we will all face
*Peter Ricketts*
David Omand is the insiders' insider with real-life experience and
here he provides a fascinating and informed insight into the way
crises develop, how to handle them and importantly, how to prevent
them. It is a striking and expert checklist for dealing with the
many future challenges awaiting us
*George Robertson, 10th Secretary General of NATO and former
British Secretary of State for Defence.*
As David observes, no one manages a crisis. Yet this remarkable
book will help you survive one with some finesse. But only if you
read it in advance
*Professor Michael Mainelli, Chairman, Z/Yen Group, Sheriff of the
City of London 2019-2021*
David Omand has unparalleled experience of crisis and risk
management. It shines through in this thoughtful and practical
guide to crisis management and resilience
*Jonathan Evans, former Director General of MI5*
Offers a masterclass into how to respond to and manage a crisis,
but it delivers far more than just the topline title. It has
fascinating capsule histories of recent crises, insights into human
psychology during a crisis, the applicability of physical-world
lessons to digital-world emergencies . . . a very clever book about
much more than it initially lets on
*DC Diplomatic Courier*
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