Naval Historical Branch in the Ministry of Defence, Stephen Prince

Stephen Prince is a Historian in the Naval Historical Branch of the Royal Navy’s Naval Staff.

His talk “Ship to Shore: The Evolution of the Allied System of Command for the Normandy Invasion” will examine the development of British and, then Allied, systems of Command and Control, considering both the long term evolution and the particular system in place, largely in and around Southwick, by 1944. It will contrast this with the German system and suggest that the greater coherence and rationality of the Allied system meant that its enduring performance was one of the most significant advantages that led to victory in Normandy and beyond

Stephen is responsible for Royal Navy reporting from current operations and the historical input into current policy. He is a graduate of Warwick University and King’s College London, where he received the Russell Prize. He has been Sir Robert Menzies Scholar at the Australian War Memorial, lecturer at Britannia Royal Naval College and senior lecturer at the Joint Services Command & Staff College. In 2006 he served in Afghanistan as War Diarist for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

His publications include articles in the Journal of Strategic Studies, the RUSI Journal & Defence Analysis. Stephen has led a number of tours to Zeebrugge for the Royal Marines. The author lives in Portsmouth, England.