Meet the Naval Review team

After nearly 37 years as a Warfare Officer including command of HMS CARDIFF and the Iraqi Maritime TG in the Northern Arabian Gulf, Mike discovered an unexpected niche in Media, Communications and Engagement where he spent his last 8 years of service predominantly in the MoD. Since leaving he has assisted a number of military charities including the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity with their Media, Communications and Engagement outcomes.

Alex Howlett holds a PhD from the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London, where he studied British naval aviation during the First World War. A graduate of the Department of War Studies at King’s, and the History Department at Simon Fraser University, he is actively engaged researching the history of strategy and maritime operations, naval procurement, and contemporary defence policy.

Emma Rowlands joined the Executive Team as Secretary-Treasurer in 2019 but is not a newcomer to the work of the Naval Review, having been actively involved for the previous decade. Although she has never served, she has been part of the wider naval family for over 20 years and brings to the role a wealth of experience from various fields. In her spare time she raises one daughter and five chickens.

James has extensive experience encompassing academic and policy-relevant research and analysis for a range of customers, including UK Government bodies. He has written widely on issues including the development of British Maritime Strategy, maritime airpower Russian maritime doctrine naval and wider military(including nuclear) modernisation and China’s evolving strategy.

Tim Henry retired in 2025 after 36 years in the Royal Navy. Whilst a warfare officer at his core, with the privilege of three sea and two shore commands, he also served on the staff at the MOD, PJHQ and NATO. He now splits his time between mentoring and training within the Alliance, serving as a Board-Level strategic adviser and supporting SMEs in bringing the next big idea to the battlefield.

A career Surface Warfare Officer, Rob Pedre has commanded at every rank from Lt to VAdm including HMS COTTESMORE, HMS RICHMOND, the Fleet Flagship HMS OCEAN, the UK’s amphibious forces as COMLSG and most recently, the UK’s maritime strike forces as COMUKSTRKFOR. Since Jan 2026 he serves as NATO’s Maritime Theatre Component Commander and Principal Maritime Advisor to SACEUR. A graduate of Imperial College London, his interests include strategy, military technology and the changing character of naval warfare.

Dr Tim Benbow is Professor of Strategic Studies in the Defence Studies Department of King’s College London, based at the UK Defence Academy.  He took a BA in PPE, then an M.Phil. and a D.Phil. in International Relations at the University of Oxford.  He then moved into professional military education, first from 2002 at Britainnia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, and then from 2004 at the Joint Services Command and Staff College with King’s.  Tim’s research and writing interests focus on British naval history and strategy from the Second World War to the present; see https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/benbow-dr-tim for more details.

Sarah is a Royal Navy Captain with nearly 30 years’ experience at sea and ashore. Career highlights include protecting the Iraqi Oil Platforms as part of the Task Force Iraqi Maritime on Op Telic, command of the offshore patrol vessels HMS Mersey and HMS Clyde, and, as Captain Britannia Royal Naval College, being responsible for New Entry Officer training, Leadership training and the University Royal Naval Units. Now back in the Ministry of Defence she enjoys combining her work in Head Office, with her role as a Trustee of the Naval Review.

David Burns retired from the Royal Navy in 2021 after a 35 year career which saw him undertake an eclectic range of duties as a warfare officer specialising in communications and intelligence, from command at sea, to planning the operational communications for the invasion of Iraq, to two tours of duty dealing with subsequent insurgency in Iraq. A University Cadet physics undergraduate when he joined, his post-9/11 career led him to complete the International Relations MPhil at Cambridge in 2012, focussing on the Middle East and US Foreign Policy. He now works in business development for the maritime engineering and consultancy firm BMT.

James Sproule is a political and economic policy expert. In 2019 he was a Senior Business Adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and has worked with the think tanks UnHerd and the Legatum Institute; between 2014-2017 he was the Chief Economist and Director of Policy at the Institute of Directors. Before the IoD he was head of UK Research with Accenture. He started his financial career as a merchant bank economist working with Bankers Trust, Deutsche Bank and Dresdner Kleinwort, and eventually helped to found the boutique bank Augusta and Company. James started his working life as a signals officer in the Royal Navy, where he remains an honorary Captain. James Sproule sits on the European advisory board for the strategic consultancy L.E.K.; he stood for Parliament at the 2005 general election; and was for seven years a visiting fellow in the Department of Management Economics at the London School of Economics.

With an 18 year career, Jonathan represents the Royal Marines on the board of trustees.

Currently serving on the Naval Staff in Whitehall, Jon’s career has been a mix of deep Lovat, operations and the joint environment. His career within the brigade has been split between 45 Cdo RM at Royal Marines Condor, Arbroath as troop commander, Operations Officer and Company Commander. He has been in the brigade headquarters as both Brigade Operations Officer and Amphibious Warfare Operations Officer.

Within the joint environment he has served as a Cultural Specialist in Helmand, an operations officer on deployment and a pre-deployment trainer for the Army. He has also conducted 2 stints in Head Office, most recently as MA to the 3* MILCAP.

Jonathan lives in Lincolnshire with his wife Becca, a serving RAF SNCO, and their 2 children. Although they rarely acknowledge him, 2 cats also take board and lodging in his house.