Commander (ret’d) Dickie Burston RN

After 20 operational years in the submarine service during the height of the Cold War, a hot trip to Hawaii for the US Third Fleet and a cold one to the North Pole, Dickie Burston down-sized to submersibles as Head of Royal Navy Submarine Escape and Rescue.  Involved in the abortive Kursk rescue, he set up and chaired the 12-nation NATO Project on submarine rescue and subsequently was Team Leader (and driving force) for the Tri-nation NATO Submarine Rescue System throughout the acquisition phases and acceptance process in preparation for Initial Operating Capability in 2008.

Subsequently he worked as a Consultant for a number of companies specifically providing professional advice to a number of countries on submarine rescue operational requirements and technical specification.  In parallel he worked on a variety of Pre-Feasibility Studies for the NATO Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG) covering Maritime Mission Modularity, ASW Unmanned Systems, stand-off ASW weapons systems and TEWA for IAMD.