Laurence Martin

Laurence Woodward Martin (born 30 July 1928) is British academic and strategist. He has Michael Howard's successor at the Department of War Studies at Kings College London, and has been involved in a number of influential foreign policy think-tanks.

Education and Academia

Martin went to St Austell Grammar School and then Christ’s College, Cambridge. In 1955 he joined Yale University as an instructor and a year later was appointed Assistant Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in 1961 where he worked as an assistant professor until 1964.

In 1964 Martin returned to Britain to take up a post as Wilson Professor of International Politics at the University of Wales. During this time the terrorologist Paul Wilkinson was also a politics professor at the University, although according to the University of Cardiff, Martin was based in Aberystwyth whilst Wilkinson was in Cardiff.

In 1968 Martin was offered a post as position as Chichele Chair of the History of War at All Souls. The post was made available after the Ministry of Defence had provided five years funding as part of a propaganda initiative by the Defence Secretary Denis Healey. Martin turned down the offer which was taken up by Michael Howard who was professor of War Studies at Kings College London. Martin then took up Howard's post and stayed at Kings College until 1977.