Description
TLC Zoom
Wednesday 18th February 2026 18:00 GMT
10 Years Military Service: A View from the Bottom
Major James Bosson RM
James joined TLC in April and (wisely) was immediately impressed – but so were we. His background and experience chimed with what we are about – and importantly he represented a new and younger sector of society that we sought to attract. James also attended the HoL dinner in July and it was as a result of a subsequent discussion that I invited him to present to the Club
James joined the Royal Marines as an officer in 2016 having spent 2 years as a reservist in the British Army. By his own description at the time he joined, the British military was still fighting an insurgency in Afghanistan. In his ten years of service since, he has witnessed structural and cultural changes within the armed forces as the system has been forced to adapt to strategic shifts and emerging threats. This has allowed him an opportunity to witness how leaders have struggled or excelled in managing such changes, to keep a force motivated in uncertain times. Due to the structure of the military, the success and failure of leaders is felt deeply at the lowest levels. This presentation allows him the space and freedom to offer a glimpse into the perceived reality from the perspective of a junior officer, working daily amongst soldiers, and the lessons that can be drawn from this experience.
Biography
I am a serving Royal Marines Officer with a background in War Studies and History from King’s College London, currently engaged in planning maritime and contingency operations at the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters. Over the past 11 years (9 years with the Royal Marines and 2 years with the Army Reserve in the Honourable Artillery Company), I have gained wide-ranging experience, including leading Commandos on international exercises and boarding operations, instructing the next generation of Army Infantry Officers, and contributing to Royal Marines recruitment. More recently, I held a middle-management role in a specialist information warfare company and facilitated Arctic training programs tailored to modern operational demands. Throughout my career, I have consistently found myself drawn to strategic thinking, seeking to understand the decisions and frameworks that underpin national and international security.
