Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Mark is the Diplomatic and Defence Editor for BBC Twos Newsnight and has covered diplomatic and defence matters for more than 20 years at the BBC. His major stories have included: the 1990 invasions of Iraq and subsequent Desert Storm campaign; the collapse of the Soviet Union; the Oslo peace process in the Middle East; the wars that broke out in the former Yugoslavia in the mid-1990s as well as the diplomacy that stopped them; the second Palestinian Intifada; 9/11 and its aftermath; the Coalition campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq; the Arab Spring and the UKs EU referendum campaign. Before joining the BBC as a reporter he was Defence Correspondent for The Independent newspaper for four years, covering the end of the Cold War and the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. Mark Urban is also well known as a military historian, with several best-selling books to his credit. These have included Rifles, about the Napoleonic Wars, Generals an exploration of the British Armys leadership since its foundation in 1688, and titles concerning more recent history such as Task Force Black on Iraq and The Edge about the East-West military balance.
Royal Armouries Trustees are not remunerated. This reappointment has been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. It is a requirement of the Code that political activity by those appointed is declared. Mark Urban has declared no political activity.