Keir Giles, born on 26 January 1968, is a British writer and academic. Giles is a leading expert on security issues affecting Russia, and on the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.Uniquely, Giles is a double Associate Fellow of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), reflecting his expertise spanning both international security issues and Russian area studies. He is also a research director with the Conflict Studies Research Centre.Before his academic career, Giles underwent pilot training with the Royal Air Force and worked as an actor with Gorky Film Studios, appearing in A Captive in the Land and other productions.