Colonel Gary Wilkinson with Professor Todd Landman, Dr Natasha Ezrow and Professor Han Dorussen.

Colchester Garrison Commander Colonel Gary Wilkinson OBE joined a panel discussion about the aftermath of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan at the University.

Colonel Wilkinson served as a Deputy Commander in Afghanistan and received an OBE for his contribution to planning operations in the country.

He gave students an insight into the issues the British Army has faced and the challenges of building up the capacity of the army and police in central Helmand.

The panel was chaired by Executive Dean for Social Sciences
Professor Todd Landman and also included Professor Han Dorussen, an expert on peacekeeping and post-conflict societies, and Dr Natasha Ezrow, a specialist on failing states and authoritarian regimes.

Colonel Wilkinson said: “It was a real privilege to be invited to the University to take part in an event marking its 50th anniversary.

“The connections between Colchester Garrison and the University continue to grow and we welcome that engagement and relationship.”

The event was organised as part of a week of events marking the University of Essex’s 50th anniversary and highlighting the strength of its work in social sciences.

The University’s Department of Government was recently recognised as the leading politics department in the UK for the quality of its research and it has a global reputation for its work on conflict resolution.