Andrew Pulford

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Sir Andrew Pulford
Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford MOD 45155744.jpg
Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford c.2013
Born (1958-03-22) 22 March 1958 (age 66)
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  Royal Air Force
Years of service 1977 – present
Rank Air Chief Marshal
Commands held Chief of the Air Staff
Air Member for Personnel
No. 2 Group
RAF Odiham
No. 18 Squadron
Battles/wars Falklands War
Operation Banner
Iraq War
Awards Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Douglas Pulford, GCB, CBE, ADC, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , (born 22 March 1958)[1] is a senior Royal Air Force commander. A helicopter pilot with operational service in Northern Ireland, the Falklands War and Iraq War, Pulford commanded RAF Odiham and No. 2 Group, and served as Assistant Chief of Defence Staff Operations before taking up the post of Deputy Commander-in-Chief Personnel at Air Command and Air Member for Personnel in 2010. He became Chief of the Air Staff on 31 July 2013.[2]

Early life

Born the son of Douglas and Jean Pulford, Pulford was educated at Magnus Grammar School in Newark.[1]

Service career

Westland Wessex, a helicopter type flown by Pulford in the late 1970s

Pulford joined the Royal Air Force as an acting pilot officer in January 1977[3] joining No. 72 Squadron[4] before spending many of his 5,000 flying hours with No. 18 Squadron.[5] He was regraded to pilot officer in January 1978[6] and then promoted to flying officer in January 1979[7] and flight lieutenant in July 1981,[8] seeing service in the Falklands War with C Flight on board RFA Tidespring, while on exchange service with the Royal Navy in 1982.[1] He had an exchange tour with the Royal Australian Air Force between 1985 and 1987.[1] Promoted squadron leader in January 1987[9] and to wing commander in January 1994,[10] he became Officer Commanding No. 18 Squadron in 1996 and Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Air Staff in 1999.[1]

Promoted to group captain in January 2000,[11] he took the Higher Command and Staff Course at Shrivenham in 2001 before becoming Station Commander at RAF Odiham in December 2001 and being deployed as Commander Joint Helicopter Force Headquarters (JHFHQ) for Operation Telic in Iraq.[12] Appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queens Birthday Honours 2004,[13] he was made Director Air Resources and Plans at the Ministry of Defence in August 2004 and, after being promoted to air commodore in January 2005,[14] he became Air Officer Commanding No. 2 Group[15] with the rank of air vice marshal in February 2007.[16]

Pulford then served as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff Operations from September 2008[17] until his appointment as Deputy Commander-in-Chief Personnel at Air Command and Air Member for Personnel with the rank of air marshal in September 2010.[18]

Pulford was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2013 New Year Honours.[19] He was also promoted to air chief marshal on taking up the appointment of Chief of the Air Staff in July 2013,[20] the first helicopter pilot ever to be professional head of the Royal Air Force.[21] As of 2015, Pulford was paid a salary of between £175,000 and £179,999 by the department, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.[22] He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 2016 New Year Honours.[23] Pulford was awarded the GCB at a ceremony at Windsor Castle along with former First Sea Lord Admiral Sir George Zambellas on 13 April 2016.[24]

Pulford's interests include military history, motorcycling, old cars and sailing.[1]

Air Marshal Pulford in RAF No.3 Dress (MTP)

Family

In 1982 Pulford married Nicola Jane Pearse; they have a son and a daughter.[1]

Honours and awards

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Order of the Bath UK ribbon.png

Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon.png General Service Medal 1962 BAR.svg South Atlantic Medal w rosette BAR.svg NATO Medal Yugoslavia ribbon bar.svg

Iraq Medal BAR.svg Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.png QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.png Accumulated Campaign Service Medal 2011 BAR.svg

Order of the Bath UK ribbon.png Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) 2016 New Year Honours
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) 2013 New Year Honours[19]
Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon.png Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) 2004 Birthday Honours[13]
General Service Medal 1962 BAR.svg General Service Medal
South Atlantic Medal w rosette BAR.svg South Atlantic Medal with Rosette
NATO Medal Yugoslavia ribbon bar.svg NATO medal for the former Yugoslavia
Iraq Medal BAR.svg Iraq Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.png Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal 2002
QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.png Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012
Accumulated Campaign Service Medal 2011 BAR.svg Accumulated Campaign Service Medal

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Who's Who 2010, A & C Black, 2010, ISBN 978-1-408-11414-8
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 47154. p. 2473. 21 February 1977. Retrieved 18 Jun 2011.
  4. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 47451. p. 1267. 30 January 1978. Retrieved 18 Jun 2011.
  7. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 47763. p. 1637. 5 February 1979. Retrieved 18 Jun 2011.
  8. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 48702. p. 10372. 11 August 1981. Retrieved 18 Jun 2011.
  9. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 50793. p. 72. 5 January 1987. Retrieved 18 Jun 2011.
  10. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 53537. p. 20689. 31 December 1993. Retrieved 18 Jun 2011.
  11. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 55722. p. 13841. 4 January 2000. Retrieved 18 Jun 2011.
  12. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. 13.0 13.1 The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 57315. p. 6. 12 June 2004. Retrieved 18 Jun 2011.
  14. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 57521. p. 16360. 4 January 2005. Retrieved 18 Jun 2011.
  15. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58245. p. 2084. 13 February 2007. Retrieved 18 Jun 2011.
  17. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. 19.0 19.1 The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60367. p. 2. 29 December 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  20. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60575. p. 14490. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  21. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 61450. p. N3. 30 December 2015.
  24. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons

Military offices
Preceded by Director Air Resources and Plans
2004–2007
Succeeded by
Barry North
Preceded by Air Officer Commanding No. 2 Group
2007–2008
Succeeded by
Stephen Hillier
Preceded by Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations)
2008–2010
Succeeded by
David Capewell
Preceded by Deputy Commander-in-Chief Personnel Air Command
Air Member for Personnel

2010–2013
Succeeded by
Barry North
Preceded by Chief of the Air Staff
2013 –
Incumbent