Thread by @paulwaugh

Superb piece by @larisamlbrown on the MoD's Defence Intelligence team. The unglamorous, unsung heroes of our intelligence services.
thetimes.co.uk/article/how-we…

DI is now getting the recognition but also the funding it needs.
The extra funding is something the late Dr Brian Jones, the real star of the Hutton Inquiry I was privileged to meet + befriend, always told me he wanted.
Here's a taster of what he was like

independent.co.uk/voices/comment…

And this:
independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…

And this:
independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…

I remember covering the Hutton Inquiry and spotting a key doubt expressed about the Iraq WMD claims by a witness known only as "ADI NBC ST". It was Brian, the Defence Intelligence chief analyst for nuclear l, chemical and biological weapons.

To my surprise, Brian rang the Independent asking to speak to me and we built a rapport from then on.
He was meticulous about his language of assessment, but was brave enough to tell his superiors the Iraq WMD dossier was "over-egged".
He was ignored.

Brian would have loved to have been part of the DI work on Ukraine right now. I remember him saying how the Russians were still a huge threat (this was 2003/4)
Remembering him and his wife Linda today, here's his obituary by @NortonTaylor

theguardian.com/politics/2012/…