Joe French

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Other people". Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Air Chief Marshal Sir Joseph Charles French, Template:Post-nominals (born 15 July 1949), often known as Sir Joe French, is a retired senior Royal Air Force officer who was the last Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Strike Command (2006–07).

RAF career

French joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1967 and qualified as a helicopter pilot, flying Wessex, Puma and Chinook.[1] Postings included Sharjah, Hong Kong, Germany and an operational tour of Northern Ireland in 1972, for which he was Mentioned in Despatches.[2] He was commanding officer of No. 7 Squadron (Chinook) at RAF Odiham, where he was later station commander (1989–91).[1]

French attended the RAF Staff College and the Royal College of Defence Studies.[1] Staff postings included aide-de-camp to the Chief of the Defence Staff, and Personal Staff Officer to the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Strike Command. He served on the staff of the Central Trials and Tactics Organisation, and was Head of the RAF Presentation Team.[1]

French served as Director of Air Force Staff Duties,[1] and as Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Policy),[1] before being appointed Director-General of Intelligence Collection.[1] He was Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI) from 2000,[1] and it was while he was CDI that the controversial September Dossier was drafted which attempted to assess the state of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.[1] He was appointed Commander-in-Chief Personnel and Training Command and Air Member for Personnelin 2003[1] and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Strike Command in 2006.[3]

French was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1991 New Year Honours,[4] and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 2003 New Year Honours.[5]

Retirement

Upon his retirement in 2007, French became President of the RAF Servicing Commando and Tactical Supply Wing Association.[6]

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j BBC News – Profile: Air Chief Marshal Sir Joe French
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  6. ↑ The President's Award Template:Webarchive The Royal Air Force Servicing Commando and Tactical Supply Wing Association Newsletter, Autumn 2009

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Military offices
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/check Chief of Defence Intelligence
2000–2003 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/check Commander-in-Chief Personnel and Training Command and Air Member for Personnel
2003–2006 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/check Commander-in-Chief RAF Strike Command
2006–2007 Template:S-ttl/check 		Command merged with PTC to form Air Command
with Sir Clive Loader as CinC
Honorary titles
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/check Air Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty The Queen
2006–2007 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by
Retrieved from "http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=Joe_French&oldid=2408353"