# Kevin Tebbit

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{{Short description|British civil servant}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
[[File:Defense.gov News Photo 011207-D-9880W-055.jpg|thumb|Kevin Tebbit (left) in [the Pentagon](/source/the_Pentagon), December, 2001]]
'''Sir Kevin Reginald Tebbit''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCB|CMG}} (born 18 October 1946)<ref name="deb">"TEBBIT, Sir Kevin Reginald (1946 - )", ''Debrett's People of Today'', 2004</ref> is a former British civil servant.

==Career==
He was educated at the [Cambridgeshire High School for Boys](/source/Cambridgeshire_High_School_for_Boys) and was a senior history scholar at [St John's College, Cambridge](/source/St_John's_College%2C_Cambridge).<ref name="deb"/><ref name=GuardAug03>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/aug/20/huttoninquiry.hutton2|title=Profile: Sir Kevin Tebbit|date=20 August 2003|publisher=The Guardian|author=Press Association|accessdate=13 April 2014}}</ref> Tebbit joined the [Ministry of Defence](/source/Ministry_of_Defence_(United_Kingdom)) in 1969 and in 1972 became assistant private secretary to the [Secretary of State for Defence](/source/Secretary_of_State_for_Defence).<ref name=GuardAug03/> At the Ministry of Defence Tebbit was concerned with defence plans and policy for Britain's nuclear forces. Tebbit served as the first secretary to the United Kingdom's delegation to [NATO](/source/NATO), in Brussels between 1979 and 1982.<ref name=GuardAug03/> A second posting abroad saw Tebbit join the [Foreign Office](/source/Foreign_Office)'s East European and Soviet Department, and serve as the head of chancery at the British Embassy in Turkey.<ref name=GuardAug03/> From 1987 to 1988 Tebbit was the director of cabinet to the then [Secretary General of NATO](/source/Secretary_General_of_NATO), [Lord Carrington](/source/Lord_Carrington) and served as the politico-military counsellor at the [British Embassy, Washington](/source/British_Embassy%2C_Washington) from 1988 to 1991.<ref name=GuardAug03/>

Upon his return to the United Kingdom in 1992 Tebbit served in a variety of roles at the Foreign Office, including as the head of the economic relations department, director of resources and the chief inspector responsible for finance and organisational planning.<ref name=GuardAug03/>

From January to July 1998, Tebbit was [Director](/source/Director_of_the_Government_Communications_Headquarters) of the [Government Communications Headquarters](/source/Government_Communications_Headquarters), the British intelligence agency specialising in [signals intelligence](/source/signals_intelligence) and [cyber security](/source/cyber_security).<ref name=GuardAug03/>

Following this he became the [Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Defence](/source/Permanent_Under-Secretary_of_State_for_Defence) before retiring in November 2005 to take up posts in industry and academia.<ref>[http://www.smiths-group.com/page.aspx?pointerid=9B24743C61104F0FB7161B94011BB509 Smith's Group]</ref>

He is a governor of the conference-organising [Ditchley Foundation](/source/Ditchley_Foundation), based at Chipping Norton.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ditchley.co.uk/page/64/the-governors.htm |title=The Ditchley Foundation: The Governors |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926002401/http://www.ditchley.co.uk/page/64/the-governors.htm |archivedate=2006-09-26 }}</ref> He is also Visiting Professor at The Policy Institute at [King's College London](/source/King's_College_London).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/policy-institute/visiting-professors-fellows/tebbit|title=King's College London - Tebbit, Sir Kevin|website=www.kcl.ac.uk|access-date=2019-03-04|archive-date=6 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306042615/https://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/policy-institute/visiting-professors-fellows/tebbit|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was a non-executive director of private intelligence company the [Smiths Group](/source/Smiths_Group) from 2006 to 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smiths.com/news-and-media/2018/07/sir-kevin-tebbit-to-retire-from-smiths-group-board-of-directors |title=Sir Kevin Tebbet to Retire from Smiths Group Board of Directors |publisher=Smiths Group |date=2018-07-26 |accessdate=2023-01-09}}</ref>

Tebbit gave evidence to [The Iraq Inquiry](/source/The_Iraq_Inquiry) on both [3 December 2009](/source/List_of_witnesses_of_The_Iraq_Inquiry)<ref name="BBC VII">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8392344.stm|title=The US 'assumed' UK participation in Iraq, inquiry told|date=3 December 2009|work=[BBC News](/source/BBC_News)|publisher=BBC|accessdate=28 January 2010}}</ref> and [3 February 2010](/source/List_of_witnesses_of_The_Iraq_Inquiry).<ref name="Iraq Inquiry II">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8378559.stm|title=Gordon Brown denies 'guillotining' UK defence budget|date=3 February 2010|work=[BBC News](/source/BBC_News)|publisher=BBC|accessdate=10 February 2010}}</ref>

Tebbit is a supporter of [West Ham United](/source/West_Ham_United), his hobbies include music and archeology.<ref name=GuardAug03/> He is married with two children.<ref name=GuardAug03/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.theguardian.com/uk/video/2009/dec/03/iraq-war-inquiry Video: Tebbit's evidence to the Iraq Inquiry in 2009]

{{s-start}}
{{s-gov}}
{{succession box |
  before= Sir [Richard Mottram](/source/Richard_Mottram) |
  title=[Permanent Secretary of the<br />Ministry of Defence](/source/Permanent_Secretary_of_the_Ministry_of_Defence) |
  years= 1998–2005 |
  after= Sir [William (Bill) Jeffrey](/source/Bill_Jeffrey)
}}
{{succession box |
 before=Sir [David Omand](/source/David_Omand) |
 title=[Director of GCHQ](/source/Director_of_GCHQ) |
 years=January – July 1998 |
 after=Sir [Francis Richards](/source/Francis_Richards_(diplomat))| 
}}
{{s-end}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tebbit, Kevin}}
Category:1946 births
Category:Living people
Category:Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
Category:Civil servants in the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
Category:Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
Category:Directors of the Government Communications Headquarters
Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
Category:Permanent under-secretaries of state for defence
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:People educated at Cambridgeshire High School for Boys

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kevin Tebbit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Tebbit) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Tebbit?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.