Jonathan Allen (Diplomat)
Jonathan Allen has been the director for National Security at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office since January 2015. He was previously the British Ambassador to Bulgaria from January 2011 until December 2014 and head of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's East Africa and Great Lakes department until the second half of 2011. [1]
Allen is also a former head of the Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU), which is a propaganda unit of the intelligence agency the Homeland Security Groupo in the Home Office.[1] RICU began after the alleged terrorist plans to detonate liquid explosives aboard transatlantic airline flights in 2006. It is managed by the Home Office, Department for Communities and Local Government, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Allen held this role between 2007-09. [1]
Biography
- Jonathan Allen is Director General Defence and Security at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
- Jonathan was Director General Defence and Intelligence from February 2024 to September 2025.
- Jonathan was Director General for Strategy on secondment to the UK national security community from June 2021 to February 2024.
- He was the UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from August 2017 to June 2021 including Acting Permanent Representative from March 2020 to December 2020.
- Jonathan was the Director, National Security at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) from 2015 until 2017.
- Between 2012 and 2015, Jonathan was the UK’s Ambassador to Bulgaria.
- May 2009 – 2011 FCO, Head, Africa Department (East Africa, Great Lakes, Strategy)
- 2007 – 2009 Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism, Head of Research, Information and Communications Unit
- 2006 – 2007 Home Office, Assistant Director, International Directorate
- 2003 – 2006 UKRep Brussels, Government Spokesman
- 2002 – 2003 FCO, Head of Cyprus Section
- 1999 – 2002 Nicosia, Second Secretary (Political/Press)
- 1998 – 1999 FCO, Full-time Greek language training
- 1997 - 1998 FCO, Common Foreign and Security Policy Department
- 1997 Joined the FCO
Resources
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 FCO, Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Bulgaria 21 December 2010, accessed 8 April 2011