2023 was a good year for the Cranwellian  Association. We have continued  to draw closer to the College in attending Founders Day, Graduation parades and the Graduation dinner. I am most grateful to the Commandant ,Air Commodore Dickens, for his support and cooperation with our Association. Our Chairman has been doing splendid work too with Tedder, the RAF leadership centre.
As 2024 commences we can look forward to our reunion in June at which Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton the Chief of Air Staff will be our Guest of Honour. There are also other matters brewing which I hope will continue our convergence with the college, in particular over Heritage and History. We will I hope be able to report on these at the Reunion AGM.
All of us will be looking at the rampant warfare in the world today and wondering just where this will all lead. It seems to me that  parallels with the 1930s are not unwarranted; the need for the democratic nations to stand up to the aggression not just of Russia and its appalling behaviour in Ukraine, but also on the wider stage where our security is at risk. The time has surely come, in Europe in particular, to properly address the needs of defence and security. We have relied on the USA for far too long and with Donald Trump closing on a second term in the White House the American underpinning of NATO, and indeed leadership for democracy around the world, cannot be assumed.
I send my best wishes and look forward to seeing you all in June,
Mike Graydon
Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon GCB CBE