Duncan Falconer | |
|---|---|
| Born | London, England |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 12 years |
| Unit | Special Boat Service |
| Battles/wars | The Troubles |
| Other work | Author, Novelist |
Duncan Falconer is the pseudonym of an author and former Special Boat Service commando. [1] As a child, he was raised in an orphanage in North London before being adopted by a family from Battersea. [2]
Falconer joined the British Royal Marines at the age of 18. At 19 years of age, he attended SBS selection in Poole Dorset and was one of nine Marines to successfully complete the course out of 147 men. Most candidates are required to serve some time in a commando unit before applying, however Duncan was given an exception. This was due to many SBS operatives leaving to instead work as deep sea divers in the North Sea for the lucrative salaries. The SBS briefly allowed recruits from CTCRM to apply for selection before serving the usual minimum time in a commando unit. Later he was posted to 42 Commando as a career broadening opportunity. [2]
Falconer served the majority of his military service with the SBS. During his time in the military, he also served with the SAS, and 14 Intelligence Detachment, deployed to Northern Ireland with each for one year and two and a half years respectively. After he left the Detachment he took a sabbatical for a year before returning to the SBS where he was posted to MAT ("Maritime Anti-Terrorism") operations in which he was involved in a number of exercises retaking oil rigs and tankers. [3]
After leaving the SBS Falconer spent two years working for a private security company.
Falconer had planned to move to Central America, to specialise in kidnap and ransom negotiation work, but, whilst in Los Angeles he wrote his first screenplay which he sold weeks later. As a result, Falconer chose to remain in LA for more than a decade whilst pursuing two careers – one as a screenplay writer, the other as a private security risk consultant. He also spent several years working as a bartender while writing screenplays and TV. Whilst living in LA, Falconer also wrote his autobiography.
After September 11 attacks Falconer returned to the UK and joined a private security company based in Hereford. There he worked as a hostile environment instructor and security consultant for journalists, operating in many countries including Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America.
His autobiography, and first literary publication, First into Action included accounts of the actions carried out by the SBS and 14 Intelligence Detachment. The tone of this work was in contrast to a number of biographies of other ex-special forces personnel at the time – the tales not just about the heroic actions of those he served alongside, but also showed the more humorous, realistic side of the troops. The book also highlighted the rivalry and antagonism between the Special Boat Service and Special Air Service and the history behind their conflict.
Such was the success of the book, that Time Warner publishing contracted Falconer to write two military-based novels. The protagonist in these initial novels was John Stratton, created in the author's image and sharing a similar career path within the military, as an SBS operative and operating with an Intelligence Detachment in Northern Ireland. The vast majority of his work to date has retained Stratton as the central character. In The Protector Falconer introduced a new central character, Bernie Mallory. Mallory again has been crafted in the image of his creator, this time as a former Royal Marine turned private security contractor.
Falconer moved to South Africa, then Dubai where he consulted on 'fuel and food' convoy moves across Afghanistan. Falconer moved back to Europe and also South Africa where he is a maritime and crisis management consultant for a UK-based security company.
Falconer continues to write books and screenplays. In 2017 the film Stratton , [4] based on the main character of his books, was released. It stars Dominic Cooper as Stratton as well as Connie Nielsen, Derek Jacobi and Thomas Kretschmann.
A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines.
The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the special forces unit of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The SBS can trace its origins back to the Second World War when the Army Special Boat Section was formed in 1940. After the Second World War, the Royal Navy formed special forces with several name changes—Special Boat Company was adopted in 1951 and re-designated as the Special Boat Squadron in 1974—until on 28 July 1987 when the unit was renamed as the Special Boat Service after assuming responsibility for maritime counter-terrorism. Most of the operations conducted by the SBS are highly classified, and are rarely commented on by the British government or the Ministry of Defence, owing to their sensitive nature.
Australia joined a U.S.-led coalition in the Iraq War. Declassified documents reveal that the decision to go to war was taken primarily with a view to enhancing its alliance with the United States.
The Commandos Marine are the special operation forces (SOF) of the French Navy. The Commandos Marine are nicknamed Bérets Verts. They operate under the Maritime Force of Sailor riflemen and Navy Commandos (FORFUSCO) and form part of the French Special Operations Command.
FORFUSCO is a syllabic abbreviation for the Force maritime des fusiliers marins et commandos, headquartered in Lorient, is the French Navy organisation responsible for and in command of the Fusiliers Marins and Commandos Marine. FORCUSCO is headed by a general officer with the title of Admiral commandant Les fusiliers marins et commandos (ALFUSCO).
Operation Paraquet was the code name for the British military operation to recapture the island of South Georgia from Argentine military control in April 1982 at the start of the Falklands War.
The Special Forces Support Group (SFSG) is a special forces unit of the British Armed Forces. The SFSG was formed officially on 3 April 2006 to provide support to the Special Air Service, the Special Boat Service and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment on operations. It is a tri-service unit, composed of the 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, a company of Royal Marine Commandos, and a flight (platoon) from the Royal Air Force Regiment.
Special Forces of Zimbabwe are the units of the Zimbabwe National Army that operate as special forces. These forces have been deployed in several African conflicts, including the Mozambique Civil War and the Second Congo War.
Special reconnaissance (SR) is conducted by small units, such as a recon team, made up of highly trained military personnel, usually from special forces units and/or military intelligence organizations. Special reconnaissance teams operate behind enemy lines, avoiding direct combat and detection by the enemy. As a role, SR is distinct from commando operations, but both are often carried out by the same units. The SR role frequently includes covert direction of airstrikes and indirect fire, in areas deep behind enemy lines, placement of remotely monitored sensors, and preparations for other special forces. Like other special forces, SR units may also carry out direct action and unconventional warfare, including guerrilla operations.
National governments deal in both intelligence and military special operations functions that either should be completely secret, or simply cannot be linked to the sponsor. It is a continuing and unsolved question for governments whether clandestine intelligence collection and covert action should be under the same agency. The arguments for doing so include having centralized functions for monitoring covert action and clandestine HUMINT and making sure they do not conflict, as well as avoiding duplication in common services such as cover identity support, counterespionage, and secret communications. The arguments against doing so suggest that the management of the two activities takes a quite different mindset and skills, in part because clandestine collection almost always is on a slower timeline than covert action.
The Sacred Band or Sacred Squadron was a Greek special forces unit formed in 1942 in the Middle East, composed mostly of Greek officers and officer cadets under the command of Col. Christodoulos Tsigantes. It fought alongside the SAS in the Western Desert and the Aegean, as well as with General Leclerc's Free French Forces in Tunisia. It was disbanded in August 1945 but is the precursor to the modern Special Forces of the Hellenic Army.
Operation Flipper was a British commando raid during the Second World War, mainly by men from No. 11 (Scottish) Commando. The operation included an attack on the headquarters of Erwin Rommel, the commander of Panzergruppe Afrika in North Africa. It was timed for the night of 17/18 November 1941, just before the start of Operation Crusader. The operation failed as Rommel had left the target house weeks earlier and all but two of the commandos who landed were killed or captured. One member of the Special Boat Section team, who had secured the beach for the commando party, also escaped.
The Special Reconnaissance Unit, also known as the 14 Field Security and Intelligence Company was a part of the British Army Intelligence Corps involved in plainclothes operations in Northern Ireland from the 1970s onwards.
The Pasukan Khas Laut, commonly abbreviated to PASKAL, is the principal special operations force of the Royal Malaysian Navy.
Colonel David George Carr Sutherland was a British Army officer, intelligence officer and military author.
Stratton is a 2017 British action thriller film directed by Simon West, based on the novel series of the same name by Duncan Falconer. The series' lead character John Stratton is played by Dominic Cooper, while the rest of the cast includes Gemma Chan, Austin Stowell, Tyler Hoechlin, and Tom Felton. Principal photography on the film began on 15 July 2015 in Brindisi, Italy. The film was released in the UK on 1 September 2017.
General Gwyn Jenkins, is a senior Royal Marines officer, serving as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff since August 2022. He was concurrently appointed Commandant General Royal Marines in November 2022.
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