Colin Armstrong, (born 1961), usually known by the pen-name Chris Ryan, is a British author, television presenter, security consultant and former

Special Air Service The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling, and in 1950 it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terr ...

sergeant. After the publication of fellow patrol member

Andy McNab Steven Billy Mitchell (born 28 December 1959), usually known by the pseudonym and pen-name of Andy McNab, is a novelist and former Special Air Service soldier. He came into public prominence in 1993 when he published a book entitled ''Bravo T ...

's '' Bravo Two Zero'' in 1993, Ryan published his own account of his experiences during the Bravo Two Zero mission in 1995, entitled '' The One That Got Away''. Since retiring from the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

Ryan has published several fiction and non-fiction books, including ''Strike Back'', which was subsequently adapted into a

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

for Sky 1, and co-created the ITV action series ''

Ultimate Force ''Ultimate Force'' is a British television Action movie, action drama television series, series that was shown on ITV (TV network), ITV, which deals with the activities of Red Troop of the SAS (Special Air Service). The first episode was broad ...

''. He has also presented or appeared in numerous television documentaries connected to the military or law enforcement.

Early life, education and military service

Ryan was born in Rowlands Gill in Gateshead. After attending Hookergate School, he enrolled in the British Army at the age of 16. Ryan's cousin was a member of the reservist 23 SAS Regiment and invited Ryan to come up and ''"see what it's like to be in the army"''. Ryan did this nearly every weekend, almost passing selection several times, but was too young to do 'test week'. When he was old enough, he passed selection into 23 SAS. Shortly after that he began selection for the regular 22 SAS Regiment and joined 'B' Squadron as a medic. Needing a parent regiment, Ryan and a former sailor who had joined 22 SAS from the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

, spent eight weeks with the Parachute Regiment before returning to 'B' Squadron. During the 1980s he was part of an SAS team sent to

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

by the UK government to train the deposed and internationally-recognised

Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea The Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea (CGDK; , ''Roathaphibal Chamroh Kampuchea Pracheathipatai''), renamed in 1990 to the National Government of Cambodia (NGC; , ''Roathaphibal Cheat Ney Kampuchea''), was a coalition government in e ...

(which included elements of the

Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...

) in tactics used against the Vietnamese-backed forces of the

People's Republic of Kampuchea The People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) was a partially recognised state in Southeast Asia which existed from 1979 to 1989. It was a satellite state of Vietnam, founded in Cambodia by the Vietnamese-backed Kampuchean United Front for Nationa ...

during the conflict which followed the

invasion An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory (country subdivision), territory controlled by another similar entity, ...

of Cambodia by Vietnam in 1979. However Ryan and his team were returned to Britain after the journalist John Pilger published details of the (classified) deployment.

Bravo Two Zero

During the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

, Ryan was a team member of the ill-fated eight-man SAS patrol, with the call sign Bravo Two Zero. The patrol was sent into

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

to "gather intelligence,... find a good LUP (lying up position) and set up an OP (observation post)" on the

main supply route A main supply route (MSR) is the route or routes designated within an area of operations upon which the bulk of traffic flows in support of military operations and humanitarian operations. MSR is a term that is also used in insurgency and irregul ...

(MSR) between

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

and North-Western Iraq, and eventually take out the

Scud A Scud missile is one of a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was exported widely to both Second and Third World countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name attached to the m ...

TELs. However they were compromised and forced to head towards

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

on foot. Ryan walked , from an observation point on the Iraqi MSR between

and North-Western Iraq, to the Syrian Border. This march made SAS history as the "longest escape and evasion by an SAS trooper or any other soldier", covering more than SAS trooper Jack Sillito had in the

Sahara Desert The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

in 1942. During his escape, Ryan suffered injuries from drinking water contaminated with nuclear waste. Besides suffering severe

muscle atrophy Muscle atrophy is the loss of skeletal muscle mass. It can be caused by immobility, aging, malnutrition, medications, or a wide range of injuries or diseases that impact the musculoskeletal or nervous system. Muscle atrophy leads to muscle weakne ...

, he lost and did not return to operational duties. Instead, he selected and trained potential recruits, before being honourably discharged from the SAS in 1994. On 29 June 1991 Ryan was awarded the

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the British Armed Forces, armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, below commissioned o ...

"in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the Gulf in 1991" although the award was not

gazette A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

d until 15 December 1998 together with the equally delayed announcement of Andy McNab's Distinguished Conduct Medal.

Post-military career

After leaving the SAS, Ryan wrote '' The One That Got Away'', which covers the account from his patrol report of the Bravo Two Zero mission. Both his and McNab's accounts have been heavily criticised by former territorial SAS member and explorer Michael Asher, who attempted to retrace the patrol's footsteps for TV and claimed to have debunked both accounts with the help of his friend, the then-SAS

regimental sergeant major Regimental sergeant major (RSM) is an appointment that may be held by a warrant officer (WO) in the British Army, the Royal Marines, and the armies of many other Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations. It is also an actual rank in the Iri ...

Peter Ratcliffe. Ryan has written more than 70 books, both fiction and non-fiction. Many of his works are well known, such as fictional works like ''Strike Back (2007)'', which was adapted into the TV show, and ''Firefight (September 2008)''. He also writes fictional books for teenage readers, including the Alpha Force Series and "Code Red", and has written a romantic novel, ''The Fisherman's Daughter'', under the pseudonym Molly Jackson. In addition to his writing Ryan has contributed to several television series and video games. In 2002 Ryan co-created and appeared in ITV's action series, ''

'', playing the role of Blue Troop leader Staff Sergeant Johnny Bell in the first series. He acted as a military adviser for the video game '' I.G.I.-2: Covert Strike''. Ryan was the star of

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

's '' Hunting Chris Ryan'' in 2003 which later aired on the Military Channel as ''Special Forces Manhunt''. In 2004 Ryan produced several programmes titled ''Terror Alert: Could You Survive'', demonstrating how to survive disasters including

flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civi ...

, nuclear terrorist attack, mass blackouts, and plane hijackings. In 2005, Ryan presented a

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

show called ''How Not to Die'', detailing how to survive various life-threatening situations. In 2007 Ryan trained and managed a six-man team to represent Team GB at Sure for Men's Extreme Pamplona Chase in Spain during the Running of the Bulls and also appeared in an episode of the

Derren Brown Derren Brown (born 27 February 1971) is an English mentalist, illusionist, and writer. He is a self-described "psychological illusionist" whose acts are often designed to expose the methods of those who claim to possess supernatural powers, ...

series, ''Mind Control with Derren Brown'', where he booby-trapped a course for Brown to follow whilst blindfolded. Ryan presented the television series '' Elite World Cops'', also broadcast as ''Armed and Dangerous'', which aired on Bravo in 2008. In the show, Ryan spends time with law enforcement agencies around the world.

Personal life

Ryan has one daughter. His experiences in Iraq caused him to suffer from

post traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster, traffic collision, ...

. Also, following his consumption of radioactive water during his Bravo Two Zero escape he was warned not to have any children in the future.

Books

Ryan has written the following books:

Non-fiction

* ''The One That Got Away'' (1995) * ''Chris Ryan's SAS Fitness Book'' (1999) * ''Chris Ryan's Ultimate Survival Guide'' (2003) * ''Fight to Win: Deadly Skills of the Elite Forces'' (2009) * ''Safe: How To Stay Safe in a Dangerous World'' (2017) * ''The History of the SAS'' (2019)

Fiction

Agent 21 * ''Agent 21'' (2010) * ''Reloaded'' (2012) * ''Codebreaker'' (2013) * ''Deadfall'' (2014) * ''Under Cover'' (2015) * ''Endgame'' (2016) Alpha Force * ''Survival'' (2002) * ''Rat-catcher'' (2002) * ''Desert Pursuit'' (2003) * ''Hostage'' (2003) * ''Red Centre'' (2004) * ''Hunted'' (2004) * ''Blood Money'' (2005) * ''Fault Line'' (2005) * ''Black Gold'' (2005) * ''Untouchable'' (2005) Code Red * ''Flash Flood'' (2006) * ''Wildfire'' (2007) * ''Outbreak'' (2007) * ''Vortex'' (2008) * ''Twister'' (2008) * ''Battleground'' (2009) Danny Black * ''Masters of War'' (2013) * ''Hunter Killer'' (2014) * ''Hellfire'' (2015) * ''Bad Soldier'' (2016) * ''Warlord'' (2017) * ''Head Hunters'' (2018) * ''Black Ops'' (2019) * ''Zero 22'' (2020) Extreme * ''Hard Target'' (2012) * ''Night Strike'' (2013) * ''Most Wanted'' (2014) * ''Silent Kill'' (2015) Geordie Sharp * ''Stand By, Stand By'' (1996) * ''Zero Option'' (1997)'' * ''The Kremlin Device'' (1998) * ''Tenth Man Down'' (1999) Jamie Carter * ''Outcast'' (2022) * ''Cold Red'' (2023) Josh Bowman * ''Manhunter'' (2021) Matt Browning * ''Greed'' (2003) * ''The Increment'' (2004) Special Forces Cadets * ''Siege'' (2018) * ''Missing'' (2019) * ''Justice'' (2019) * ''Ruthless'' (2020) * ''Hijack'' (2020) * ''Assassin'' (2021) Strike Back * ''Strike Back'' (2007) ''Series is prequel to the novel "Strike Back" (2007)'' * ''Deathlist'' (2016) * ''Shadow Kill'' (2017) * ''Global Strike'' (2018) * ''Red Strike'' (2019) * ''Circle of Death'' (2020) Quick Reads * ''One Good Turn'' (2008) Other * ''The Hit List'' (2000) * ''The Watchman'' (2001) * ''Land of Fire'' (2002) * ''Blackout'' (2005) * ''Ultimate Weapon'' (2006) * ''Firefight'' (2008) * ''The Fisherman's Daughter (2009) (as Molly Jackson) * ''Who Dares Wins'' (2009) * ''The Kill Zone'' (2010) * ''Medal of Honor'' (2010) * ''Killing for the Company'' (2011) * ''Osama'' (2012) * ''Traitor'' (2024)

Filmography

* ''

'' (2002) - SSgt Johnny Bell * '' Hunting Chris Ryan'' (2003) - Himself * '' Elite World Cops'' (2008) - Himself * '' Chris Ryan's Strike Back'' (2010) - Commanding Officer