Ups and outs July 2012

Promotions, retirements and new jobs for senior military officers (for one stars see the second page, including  a large number of new Brigade commanders and biographical notes)

Rear Admiral D G Steel CBE to be promoted Vice Admiral and to succeed Vice Admiral Sir Charles Montgomery KBE, ADC as Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Pers & Trg wef October 2012

Cdre T M Lowe to be promoted Rear Admiral and to succeed Rear Admiral R G Harding OBE as Dep Cdr Striking Force NATO wef Sept 2012

Brigadier A R D Sharpe OBE to be acting Major General and to succeed Air Vice Marshal M P Colley OBE as Asst Chief of Def Staff (Dev, Concepts & Doctrine) wef June 2012

Actg Cdre M A W Bath to be promoted Cdre and continue as Head of Strategy & Progs with DCDS (P & T) wef 1 July 2012

 New assignments for Brigadiers:

R T H Jones to be Cdr 1 Mech Brigade wef August 2012

C L G Herbert to be Cdr 4 Mech Brigade wef May 2012

J A Woodham to be Cdr 7 Arm Brigade wef January 2012

N R M Borton to be Cdr 16 Air Assault Brigade wef April 2012

J D Cavanagh to be Dep Cdg general. 1 (US) Infantry Divn wef October 2012

L K Ford to be Cdr, Royal Artillery, 3 (UK) Divn wef October 2012

T J Carmichael to be Cdr 1 Signals Brigade and Chief of Comms and Info Systems, HQ ARRC wef September 2012

D P Amison to be Cdr 102 Logistics Brigade wef July 2013

R R Smith to be Dep Cdr, London District wef October 2012

J Claydon to be Cdr 2 (South East) Brigade wef June 2013

P K Harkness to be Cdr 51 (Scottish) Brigade wef August 2012

G Hughes to be Cdr, 145 (South) Brigade wef January 2013

I J Gibb to be Chief of Staff, Force Dev and Trg, Army HQ wef August 2012

N Welch to be Director, Army Division, Defence Academy wef August 2012 t Chief of Staff

T P Robinson to be Asst Chief of Staff Opns, Army HQ wef August 2012

I G Harrison to be Dir, Combat Support Cap Dir, Army HQ wef September 2012

G I Mitchell to be Dir, Combat Service Support Cap Dir, Army HQ wef July 2012

S F Deakin to be Dir Force Dev, Army HQ wef August 2012

G E Lowder to be Head of Def Intel Fusin Centre/DIO wef August 2012

D J Greenwood to be Chief of Staff Pers and Support Cmnd, Army HQ wef September 2012

P W Boyd to be Dir Infrastructure, A rmy HQ wef January 2013

S J Vickery to be Head, Centre for Def Acquisition and Tech, Defence Acxademy wef March 2013

J D Bevan to be Dep UK Mil Rep, UKREP Brussels wef April 2013

W N Aldridge to be UK Nat Mil Rep, SHAPE wef March 2013

Biographical notes

Rear Admiral David George Steel CBE Born 1961. Joined Royal Navy 1979. December 1999 commended for valuable service in support of operations in Kosovo and Macedonia earlier that year. In November 2005 he became Commander HM Naval Base Portsmouth and in that capacity was honoured for his "inspirational leadership" during the battle against government cuts in 2007. Given title of Chief Naval Logistics Officer. 2008 made Director of Service Personnel Policy (Pay and Allowances) at the MoD. 2010 promoted to Rear Admiral and appointed Naval Secretary.

Cdre T M Lowe Born 1963, Joined the Royal Navy in September 1981. First command 1989, Patrol Vessel HMS Sandpiper. Qualifying as a PWO(U) 1992. 1993 served as the Squadron Warfare Officer (Navigation) operating in the Arabian Gulf, Mediterranean and South Atlantic. Promoted to Commander 1995. Appointment to the Naval Communications and Information Systems Directorate and DoR(SEA). Second command, HMS Sheffield 1999. Deployments to the Middle East and the Mediterranean in 2001 and 2002, support to initial operations in Afghanistan. 2002, Captain in the Directorate of Naval Operations, working with the Defence Crisis Management Organisation during Operation TELIC. Assistant Director in the newly formed Joint Commitments Directorate and Navigational Advisor to the Admiralty Board. 2004 Principal Staff Officer to the NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe. 2006 command of HMS Albion. As Commodore, command of all RN and RFA ships operating in the Middle East as UKMCC Bahrain. Served under the Commander US Fifth Fleet as the Deputy Commander, Combined Maritime Forces in the US CENTCOM Area of Responsibility on counter piracy, counter terrorism and maritime security operations. Commander Maritime Warfare School, Commodore Surface Stream and Commanding Officer HMS Collingwood. Assigned as Deputy Flag Officer Sea Training in December 2011.

Brigadier Andrew R D Sharpe OBE Commissioned in 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment 1979. First appointment in 1980 as a rifle platoon commander in Belize and Northern Ireland. Command and staff appointment in Hong Kong, Brunei, and again in Belize, served twice at the Prince of Wales's Division Depot at Lichfield. Chief of Staff of 7MB (The Desert Rats), Bosnia 1994 with UNPROFOR. Command of C Company 1 CHESHIRE, two tours in Northern Ireland. Chief Instructor at RMA Sandhurst in 1997, promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, appointed MA to DSACEUR, based at SHAPE. Commanded the 1st Battalion the 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment from 1999 to 2001. Posted to the Joint doctrine and Concepts Centre as the SO1 SF, secondment to the MoD, reviewing UK Defence Strategy post-September 11 2001. Promoted to Colonel 2001, appointed Chief of Staff at the Joint Services Command and Staff College. In 2003 Assistant Director Joint Warfare. 2004 posted to Baghdad as a strategic plannerworking directly to the 4* IS operation commander. Wrote the Coalition Campaign Plan for Iraq: awarded the OBE (and the Bronze Star by the Americans). 2006, on promotion to Brigadier, as Commander Multi-National Task Force (North West) and COMBRITFOR (Bosnia) based in Banja Luka.

Actg Cdre Mike A W Bath Assistant Chief of Staff J1/J4, Permanent Joint Headquarters, Northwood 2009 – 2011. Navy Command Headquarters, Royal Navy, Portsmouth, 2011-12. Head of Strategy and Programmes and New Employment Model Programme Manager, MoD, from April 2012.