David Walker (RAF officer)
Encyclopedia
Air Marshal
David Walker CB
CBE
AFC
is a Royal Air Force
officer. He is currently Deputy Commander, Allied Joint Force Command at Brunssum, in the Netherlands, having previously served for over three years as Deputy Commander, Allied Air Component Command at Ramstein
in Germany. Prior to that appointment he was Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group
in the UK.
He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2011 New Year Honours.
in 1978 and then completed tours in Germany
, the United States
, and the United Kingdom
, flying the Harrier and F/A-18 Hornet
. After Staff College he commanded 1(F) Squadron, flying operational missions over Iraq and Bosnia, before becoming the Military Assistant to the UK Minister for Armed Forces in the Ministry of Defence, serving the Hon Nicholas Soames
MP and Dr John Reid
MP.
In January 1999, he attended the UK’s Higher Command and Staff Course
before taking command of RAF Cottesmore
and the UK Harrier Force. Posted to HQ No 3 Group in August 2001 he spent most of that tour deployed overseas supporting operations in Afghanistan
as part of the International Coalition for Op ENDURING FREEDOM. In 2002 he took up the post of Assistant Chief of Staff J3 (Operations) responsible to the UK Commander Joint Operations for the oversight and management of Operation TELIC, the UK contribution to Op IRAQI FREEDOM, as well as oversight of all other UK expeditionary operations.
Appointed Assistant Chief of the Air Staff
in October 2003, Walker was responsible for the detailed handling of RAF policy, resource allocation, international relations and change agenda. He was closely involved in the Eurofighter Typhoon programme and bi-lateral relations with NATO and International allies. In April 2005 Walker gained command of No 1 Group with responsibility for the RAF’s fast jet forces as well as their training and operational performance. In April 2006 he assumed full command responsibility for the RAF Support Helicopter Force contribution to the UK Joint Helicopter Command.
In June 2007 he was appointed Deputy Commander, Allied Air Component Command at Ramstein. In July 2010 he was appointed as Director of the Joint US/NATO Ballistic Missile Defence Task Force.
(MA
in Defence Studies), Walker is undertaking a Portal Fellowship for a PhD
with King's College London
at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell
.
Air Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
David Walker CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
AFC
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
is a Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
officer. He is currently Deputy Commander, Allied Joint Force Command at Brunssum, in the Netherlands, having previously served for over three years as Deputy Commander, Allied Air Component Command at Ramstein
Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base is a United States Air Force base in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe and is also a North Atlantic Treaty Organization installation...
in Germany. Prior to that appointment he was Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group
No. 1 Group RAF
Number 1 Group of the Royal Air Force is one of the two operations groups in Air Command.The group is today referred to as the Air Combat Group, as it controls the RAF's combat fast-jet aircraft and has airfields in the UK plus RAF Unit Goose Bay in Canada, which is used extensively as an...
in the UK.
He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2011 New Year Honours.
Service career
Walker joined the Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in 1978 and then completed tours in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, flying the Harrier and F/A-18 Hornet
F/A-18 Hornet
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...
. After Staff College he commanded 1(F) Squadron, flying operational missions over Iraq and Bosnia, before becoming the Military Assistant to the UK Minister for Armed Forces in the Ministry of Defence, serving the Hon Nicholas Soames
Nicholas Soames
Arthur Nicholas Winston Soames MP , known as Nicholas Soames, is a British Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the constituency of Mid Sussex....
MP and Dr John Reid
John Reid (politician)
John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan, PC is a British politician, who served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament and cabinet minister under Tony Blair, most notably as Defence Secretary and then Home Secretary...
MP.
In January 1999, he attended the UK’s Higher Command and Staff Course
Higher Command and Staff Course
The Higher Command and Staff Course is a staff course for senior military officers of the United Kingdom armed forces and allies. It is taught at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom....
before taking command of RAF Cottesmore
RAF Cottesmore
RAF Cottesmore was a Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England, situated between Cottesmore and Market Overton. The station housed all the operational Harrier GR9 squadrons in the Royal Air Force, and No 122 Expeditionary Air Wing...
and the UK Harrier Force. Posted to HQ No 3 Group in August 2001 he spent most of that tour deployed overseas supporting operations in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
as part of the International Coalition for Op ENDURING FREEDOM. In 2002 he took up the post of Assistant Chief of Staff J3 (Operations) responsible to the UK Commander Joint Operations for the oversight and management of Operation TELIC, the UK contribution to Op IRAQI FREEDOM, as well as oversight of all other UK expeditionary operations.
Appointed Assistant Chief of the Air Staff
Assistant Chief of the Air Staff
The Assistant Chief of the Air Staff is a senior appointment in the Royal Air Force. The incumbent is in practical terms the deputy to the head of the RAF, the Chief of the Air Staff....
in October 2003, Walker was responsible for the detailed handling of RAF policy, resource allocation, international relations and change agenda. He was closely involved in the Eurofighter Typhoon programme and bi-lateral relations with NATO and International allies. In April 2005 Walker gained command of No 1 Group with responsibility for the RAF’s fast jet forces as well as their training and operational performance. In April 2006 he assumed full command responsibility for the RAF Support Helicopter Force contribution to the UK Joint Helicopter Command.
In June 2007 he was appointed Deputy Commander, Allied Air Component Command at Ramstein. In July 2010 he was appointed as Director of the Joint US/NATO Ballistic Missile Defence Task Force.
Education and Personal
Educated at Bristol University (BSc in Geography) and King's College LondonKing's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
(MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Defence Studies), Walker is undertaking a Portal Fellowship for a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
with King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell
Royal Air Force College Cranwell
The Royal Air Force College is the Royal Air Force training and education academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to be commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and is responsible for all RAF recruiting along with...
.
Career Chronology
- Aug 1975: Commissioned
- Dec 1987: Awarded Air Force CrossAir Force Cross (United Kingdom)The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
(as Squadron Leader) - Dec 2001: Appointed CBE (as Air Commodore)
- Jun 2007: Promoted Air Marshal; appointed Deputy Commander, Allied Air Component Command, Ramstein
- Dec 2010: Appointed CB
- Mar 2011: Appointed Deputy Commander, Allied Joint Force Command, Brunssum