Nick Childs

Senior Fellow for Naval Forces and Maritime Security IISS

Nick joined the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in June 2015 as Senior Fellow for Naval Forces and Maritime Security, responsible for the Institute’s analysis in these areas. He covers the range of issues in the maritime domain from strategy to technology and capability development. Nick’s specialist areas of interest are US Navy developments; NATO, European, Russian and Chinese naval capabilities; and maritime developments in the Euro-Atlantic, Middle East, South Asia, and the Asia-Pacific regions. He also has a particular interest and expertise in aircraft carrier and maritime aviation developments. Before joining the Institute, Nick was a BBC journalist for more than 30 years, specialising in covering defence, security and international affairs. His last appointment was as a BBC World Affairs Correspondent. He was also the BBC's first Pentagon Correspondent. Other main assignments included Defence & Security Correspondent and Political Correspondent. He reported on most recent conflicts and crises in the Middle East including Iraq, as well as those in the Balkans, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Nick has written two books on the modern Royal Navy, as well as numerous articles and commentaries in defence-related, international affairs and naval journals. He read Modern History and Economics at St Catherine's College, Oxford.