Admiral Lord West has spent the majority of his naval career at sea, serving in fourteen different ships and commanding three of them including in the Falklands War. In November 2000, he became Commander-in-Chief Fleet, NATO Commander-in-Chief East Atlantic and NATO Commander Allied Naval Forces North.
He led the United Kingdom’s maritime response to 9/11 including the invasion of Afghanistan. He became First Sea Lord in 2002. He inspired and organized the Trafalgar Bicentennial Fleet Review and led the Navy during its crucial and successful role in the initial invasion of Iraq.
On retiring, he advised both Conservative and Labor parties on defense and foreign policy and was appointed Chancellor of Solent University. In 2007, the Government gave him responsibility for cyber security, national security and counter-terrorism.
He produced the United Kingdom’s first ever National Security Strategy and Cyber Security strategy as well as formulating a series of other groundbreaking strategies: the counter-terrorist policy; cyber security; chemical biological radiological and nuclear security; science and technology for countering international terrorism; guidance for local government in enhancing the security of crowded places. He put in place the basic construct for security for the 2012 Olympics, and he was Chairman of The National Security Forum. Lord West was also a member of the Intelligence and Security Committee 2022-24.
Mal Crease, Founder and CEO of Kraken Technology Group, said: “Lord West joins the Kraken team at a key stage in our development. His expert advice, strategic insights and practical experience of war at sea will be invaluable as interest increases in Kraken’s innovative range of defense and security capabilities, designed to counter future threats and to meet complex maritime requirements.”
Lord West added: “I am excited to be joining the dynamic, innovative team at Kraken as they continue to push the boundaries of maritime performance and technological development. Kraken’s disruptive design and manufacturing of scalable high-performance maritime platforms will deliver unprecedented levels of capability for end-users in commercial, humanitarian and military applications.”
