Nick Houghton
Encyclopedia
General
Sir John Nicholas Reynolds Houghton, GCB, CBE, ADC Gen.
(born 1954) is a senior officer in the British Army
, currently serving as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff
, the deputy to the Chief of the Defence Staff, the head of Britain's Armed Forces; based at the Ministry of Defence
, London.
, near Leeds
and educated at Woodhouse Grove School
in Bradford
. He graduated from St Peter's College
, University of Oxford
after doing an in-Service Bachelor's degree
in Modern History
.
and subsequently became a member of the Directing Staff at the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham. Later he became Commanding Officer
of 1st Battalion The Green Howards and was deployed to Northern Ireland
.
In 1994 he was made Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff at HQ Land Command and in 1997 he attended the Higher Command and Staff Course. He became Commander
of 39 Infantry Brigade in Northern Ireland
in 1997 and Director of Military Operations at the Ministry of Defence
in 1999. He was made Chief of Staff of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in 2002 and Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations) in 2004.
He was appointed Senior British Military Representative Iraq and Deputy Commanding General of the Multi-National Force-Iraq in 2005. He was appointed to the honorary position of Colonel of the Regiment of The Yorkshire Regiment on 6 June 2006 and was superceeded by Major General
Graham Binns
in 2011. He became Chief of Joint Operations at Permanent Joint Headquarters
(UK) in 2006. He was relieved of this post on 13 March 2009 in preparation for his promotion to General
on appointment as Vice Chief of the Defence Staff in May 2009.
.
, sailing
, shooting
, cooking
and history
.
General (United Kingdom)
General is currently the highest peace-time rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It is subordinate to the Army rank of Field Marshal, has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank....
Sir John Nicholas Reynolds Houghton, GCB, CBE, ADC Gen.
Aide-de-Camp General
One of the several categories of aides de camp to the Monarch in the United Kingdom is styled Aide de Camp General.These are honorary appointments for senior British Army generals, first made in 1910. There were originally four, but the number was reduced to three in 1988...
(born 1954) is a senior officer in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, currently serving as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff
Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff
The Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff is the deputy to the Chief of the Defence Staff, the professional head of the British Armed Forces.-List of Vice Chiefs of the Defence Staff:*1964 to 1966 - Air Chief Marshal Sir Alfred Earle...
, the deputy to the Chief of the Defence Staff, the head of Britain's Armed Forces; based at the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
, London.
Early life
Born in OtleyOtley
-Transport:The main roads through the town are the A660 to the south east, which connects Otley to Bramhope, Adel and Leeds city centre, and the A65 to the west, which goes to Ilkley and Skipton. The A6038 heads to Guiseley, Shipley and Bradford, connecting with the A65...
, near Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and educated at Woodhouse Grove School
Woodhouse Grove School
Woodhouse Grove School is an independent, coeducational, day and boarding public school and Sixth Form college in Apperley Bridge, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England for children aged between 11 and 18...
in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
. He graduated from St Peter's College
St Peter's College, Oxford
St Peter's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, located in New Inn Hall Street. It occupies the site of two of the University's oldest Inns, or medieval hostels - Bishop Trellick's, later New Inn Hall, and Rose Hall - both of which were...
, University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
after doing an in-Service Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Modern History
Modern history
Modern history, or the modern era, describes the historical timeline after the Middle Ages. Modern history can be further broken down into the early modern period and the late modern period after the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution...
.
Military career
After attending RMA Sandhurst, Houghton was commissioned into the Green Howards in 1974. He was appointed Military Assistant to the Chief of Staff British Army of the RhineBritish Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.-1919–1929:...
and subsequently became a member of the Directing Staff at the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham. Later he became Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of 1st Battalion The Green Howards and was deployed to Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
In 1994 he was made Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff at HQ Land Command and in 1997 he attended the Higher Command and Staff Course. He became Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
of 39 Infantry Brigade in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
in 1997 and Director of Military Operations at the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
in 1999. He was made Chief of Staff of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in 2002 and Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations) in 2004.
He was appointed Senior British Military Representative Iraq and Deputy Commanding General of the Multi-National Force-Iraq in 2005. He was appointed to the honorary position of Colonel of the Regiment of The Yorkshire Regiment on 6 June 2006 and was superceeded by Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Graham Binns
Graham Binns
Major General Graham John Binns CBE DSO MC is a retired British Army officer. Binns served as General Officer Commanding 1st Armoured Division and then Commandant Joint Services Command and Staff College. He had previously commanded the 7th Armoured Brigade during Operation Telic 1 when they took...
in 2011. He became Chief of Joint Operations at Permanent Joint Headquarters
Permanent Joint Headquarters
The Permanent Joint Headquarters is the British tri-service headquarters from where all overseas military operations are planned and controlled. It is situated at Northwood Headquarters in Northwood, London....
(UK) in 2006. He was relieved of this post on 13 March 2009 in preparation for his promotion to General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
on appointment as Vice Chief of the Defence Staff in May 2009.
Awards
He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2008 Birthday Honours and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 2011 Birthday Honours2011 Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours 2011 for the Commonwealth Realms were announced on 7 June 2011 in New Zealand and 11 June 2011 in United Kingdom to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2011.-Privy Councillors:...
.
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Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) | |
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Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) | |
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UNFICYP medal United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus was established in 1964 to prevent a recurrence of fighting between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and to contribute to the maintenance and restoration of law and order and a return to normal conditions... |
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General Service Medal (1962) General Service Medal (1962) The General Service Medal , was introduced in 1962 to combine the General Service Medal , as awarded to the Army and RAF, and the Naval General Service Medal... |
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Iraq Medal Iraq Medal (United Kingdom) The Iraq Medal was a campaign medal for issue to Officers and Other Ranks of the British Armed Forces, and others, who served on, or in support of, Operation TELIC - the designation for British operations during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and its aftermath.... |
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Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II... |
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| Accumulated Campaign Service Medal Accumulated Campaign Service Medal The Accumulated Campaign Service Medal, instituted January 1994, is for "long service on campaign" and recognizes repeat operational service. Originally it recognized 1080 days of cumulative campaign service. After 1 July 2011, the service requirement was reduced to 720 days.- Description :The... |
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Officer of the Legion of Merit Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements... |
(United States) |
Personal life
He is married to Maggie and they have two children together, Tom and Sophie. His interests include golfGolf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
, shooting
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
, cooking
Cooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
.