Julian Thompson RMC served in the Royal Marines for 34 years, during which time he commanded operations at all levels from platoon to brigade. His period of command included the Falklands War of 1982, in which he commanded the 3rd Commando Brigade of three Royal Marines Commandos and the two battalions of the Parachute Regiment.

He is now a visiting professor at the Department of War Studies at King's College, London and Chairman of a company which advises the shipping industry on combatting piracy. He regularly appears on television as an authority on military history and has written 16 books on the subject including The Somme & Verdun: 1916 Remembered, and co-authored The Gallipoli Experience.