David HOBBS

David Hobbs took up his post as Secretary General of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in January 2008 following election by the Standing Committee.

He was born in Leeds (United Kingdom) on 5 March 1956. He trained initially as a physicist at Manchester University and holds a Master's Degree in War Studies from King's College, London.

After periods in both the UK civil service and the private sector, he joined Aberdeen University's Centre for Defence Studies where he published studies on intermediate-range nuclear forces and the renewal of the United Kingdom's independent nuclear deterrent force.  He also lectured and provided briefings on nuclear strategy to both military and civilian audiences and the media.

He joined the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in 1983 as Director of the Science and Technology Committee, a position which enabled him to draw upon his background in both science and security studies.  In 1987, he took up the additional responsibilities of Director of Committees and Studies, with a particular role in coordinating the work of all five of the Assembly's Committees.

He was one of the key personnel involved in the Assembly’s adaptation to the post-Cold War environment which has included parliamentary outreach and training programmes, assistance with security sector reform, and the integration of non-member parliaments into the Assembly's activities.

David was appointed Deputy Secretary General of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in November 1997.

In addition to his responsibilities at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, from 1996 to 2007 he served as the Chairman of the Euro-Atlantic Foundation, an NGO which provided IT assistance to parliaments in Central and Eastern Europe, developed web-based educational modules in international relations, and promoted standards for parliamentary websites. 

From 1993 to 2005 he was also a member of the research advisory council of the Chemical and Biological Arms Control Institute.

Since 2009 he has been a member of the Senior Steering Group for NATO's Special Operations Headquarters.

He has written extensively on the political and military implications of new technology.

He is married and has two adult children.