
Martin Bricknell CB OStJ
Professor in Conflict, Health and Military Medicine
Biography
Professor Bricknell took up his appointment as Professor in Conflict, Health and Military Medicine at King’s College London in April 2019 to build a focus for research into civil-military relations in global health systems. Prior to this he served 34 years in the UK Defence Medical Services, culminating his service as the Surgeon General of the UK Armed Forces. He undertook operational tours in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Balkans with multiple additional overseas assignments. In 2010 and 2006, he held senior Medical Adviser appointments in the NATO ISAF mission. He commanded 22 Field Hospital in 1999-2002. He was awarded the Companion of the Order of Bath, the Order of St John and the US Bronze Star during his military service. He has trained as a general practitioner and is an accredited specialist in both Public Health and Occupational Medicine. He holds two Doctorates and 3 Masters degrees. He has published over 100 academic papers across military medical subjects. He is especially interested in how organisations learn, care pathways in military healthcare, and the political economy of health in conflict.
Research Interests
- Healthcare
- Public Health
- Conflict and Security
- International affairs and development
Subject areas
- Political economy of military health systems in crisis environments
- Organisational and clinical learning from caring for casualties from contemporary conflict(s)
- Caring for military patients through their life course
- Building military clinical sciences research capacity and capability
Publications
- Bricknell, M., & Lin, C-Y. (2022). Case Study United Kingdom: Civil-military Cooperation for the Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom. In D. Braun, & A. Stelzner-Doğan (Eds.), The Role of Armed Forces in the Covid-19 Pandemic (pp. 76-100). Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. https://www.kas.de/documents/252038/16166715/The+Role+of+Armed+Forces+in+the+Covid-19+Pandemic.pdf/7af80f5f-6616-5fd7-3759-54285c77407d?version=1.1&t=1658934540891
- Combined Health Services Support Operations, Bricknell, M. C. M: in Fundamentals of Military Medicine, 2019. O'Connor, F. Shoomaker, E. & Smith, D. (eds.). San Antonio: Borden Institute, p. 193-201 (Textbook of Military Medicine). https://www.cs.amedd.army.mil/borden/bookDetail.aspx?ID=a875991f-3640-4cab-afa5-66f02f917333&pageTitle=Fundamentals%20of%20Military%20Medicine
- Bricknell M and Story R. An Overview to Military Medical Ethics. Journal of Military and Veterans Health. 2022;30(2):7-16 at: https://jmvh.org/article/an-overview-to-military-medical-ethics/
- Bailey Z, Mahoney P, Miron M, Bricknell M. Thematic Analysis of Military Medical Ethics Publications From 2000 to 2020—A Bibliometric Approach. Military Medicine. 2021 Jul 9. https://doi-org.eres.qnl.qa/10.1093/milmed/usab317
- Gad M, Kazibwe J, Quirk E, Gheorghe A, Homan Z and Bricknell M. Civil–military cooperation in the early response to the COVID-19 pandemic in six European countries. BMJ Mil Health Published Online First: 30 March 2021. doi: Gad M, Kazibwe J, Quirk E, Gheorghe A, Homan Z and Bricknell M. Civil–military cooperation in the early response to the COVID-19 pandemic in six European countries. BMJ Mil Health 2021;167:234-243. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjmilitary-2020-001721
- Leone R, Whitaker J, Homan Z, Bandelkow L, Bricknell M. Framework for the evaluation of military health systems. BMJ Mil Health Published Online First: 22 February 2021. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjmilitary-2020-001699
- Bricknell M, Horne S. Personal view: security sector health systems and global health. BMJ Mil Health Published Online First: 30 September 2020. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjmilitary-2020-001607
- Bricknell M, Hinrichs-Krapels S, Ismail S, Sullivan R. Understanding the structure of a country’s health service providers for defence health engagement. BMJ Mil Health. Published Online First: 04 June 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjmilitary-2020-001502
- Bricknell M, Homan Z and Lin C-L. The Military Instrument of Power and Pandemics: A Long-Term Perspective. Pages 86-101. In Pandemics and International Security: The Outlook for NATO. Eds. Lucarlelli S, Marrone A and Moro F. (2022) Instituto Affari Internazionale, Rome. Available at: https://www.iai.it/en/pubblicazioni/pandemics-and-international-security-outlook-nato
- Meyer C, Bricknell M, Pacheco Pardo R. How the COVID-19 crisis has affected security and defence-related aspects of the EU: Part II - In Depth Analysis. 2021. 46 p. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2021/653623/EXPO_IDA(2021)653623_EN.pdf
- Bricknell, M, Gad, MM, Homan, Z, Gheorghe, A, Quirk, E & Kazibwe, J 2021, An Analysis Of The National Responses To The COVID-19 Pandemic Through The Lens Of Medical Military Support Requirements. vol. 4, 5 edn, NATO Allied Command Transformation, Norfolk, Virginia. https://issuu.com/spp_plp/docs/an_analysis_of_the_national_responses_to_the_covid?fr=sNmM5ZTQ2NTIzNzQ
Research

Centre for Conflict & Health Research
Cross disciplinary initiative studying the intersection of global health, security, and political governance in conflict-affected fragile states and regions.
News
School of Security Studies launches publication 'War in Ukraine: One Year On'
The online publication 'War in Ukraine: One Year On' features seventeen contributions by a diverse group of scholars from the School of Security Studies at...

New analyses shows COVID-19 pandemic could exacerbate existing conflicts and trigger new flashpoints
New analyses highlights how pressures of COVID-19 could lead to conflict post-pandemic.

Impact of COVID-19 on EU security assessed in new report
A new report highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected European security and defence and what the longer-term repercussions may be.

EU must act to avoid pandemic causing 'deep decline' in military capabilities
The European Union’s resources must be better targeted and used more efficiently to avoid the COVID-19 pandemic causing a “deep and lasting decline” in the...

Medical Military Ethics Playing Cards now available with smartphone app
The King’s Centre for Military Ethics have developed an app for their highly successful playing cards ethics tool

Events

Making the Military Moral
Join the King's Centre for Military Ethics to hear about their innovative and ground-breaking playing cards app and paperback release of the book
Please note: this event has passed.

KGHI Research Seminar - Military Medicine
Focusing on King's research in global health and military medicine
Please note: this event has passed.
Features
How militaries around the world joined the battle against Covid-19
A blog piece from the School of Security Studies around the military response to Covid-19

Spotlight
Saving lives thorough military ethics education
Research and resources from the Defence Studies Department have provided a pioneering approach to military ethics education.

Research

Centre for Conflict & Health Research
Cross disciplinary initiative studying the intersection of global health, security, and political governance in conflict-affected fragile states and regions.
News
School of Security Studies launches publication 'War in Ukraine: One Year On'
The online publication 'War in Ukraine: One Year On' features seventeen contributions by a diverse group of scholars from the School of Security Studies at...

New analyses shows COVID-19 pandemic could exacerbate existing conflicts and trigger new flashpoints
New analyses highlights how pressures of COVID-19 could lead to conflict post-pandemic.

Impact of COVID-19 on EU security assessed in new report
A new report highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected European security and defence and what the longer-term repercussions may be.

EU must act to avoid pandemic causing 'deep decline' in military capabilities
The European Union’s resources must be better targeted and used more efficiently to avoid the COVID-19 pandemic causing a “deep and lasting decline” in the...

Medical Military Ethics Playing Cards now available with smartphone app
The King’s Centre for Military Ethics have developed an app for their highly successful playing cards ethics tool

Events

Making the Military Moral
Join the King's Centre for Military Ethics to hear about their innovative and ground-breaking playing cards app and paperback release of the book
Please note: this event has passed.

KGHI Research Seminar - Military Medicine
Focusing on King's research in global health and military medicine
Please note: this event has passed.
Features
How militaries around the world joined the battle against Covid-19
A blog piece from the School of Security Studies around the military response to Covid-19

Spotlight
Saving lives thorough military ethics education
Research and resources from the Defence Studies Department have provided a pioneering approach to military ethics education.
