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Michael Wilkes
General Sir Michael John Wilkes, (11 June 1940 – 27 October 2013) was a British army officer who became Adjutant-General to the Forces in the United Kingdom. Early life The son of an Artillery officer, Michael John Wilkes was born at Steep, Hampshire, on 11 June 1940 and educated at King's School, Rochester where he played rugby for the 1st XV.Debrett's People of Today 1994 Military career Wilkes was commissioned in to the Royal Artillery in 1961. In 1977 he took command of 22 SAS Regiment at the age of 36. The regiment had been given a new role in counter-terrorism. The training instituted involved hostage situations, negotiations with those making demands, and assaults when it was judged that talks had broken down. Under Wilkes's leadership, the regiment became adept at responding rapidly to the different tactics employed by terrorists. He also set up a robust liaison system linking the SAS commander to the police, the security services and the Cabinet Office Briefi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
General (United Kingdom)
General (or full general to distinguish it from the lower general officer ranks) is the highest rank achievable by serving officers of the British Army. The rank can also be held by Royal Marines officers in tri-service posts, for example, General Sir Gordon Messenger the former Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom), Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff. It ranks above Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), lieutenant-general and, in the Army, is subordinate to the rank of Field marshal (United Kingdom), field marshal, which is now only awarded as an honorary rank. The rank of general has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank. It is equivalent to a Admiral (Royal Navy), full admiral in the Royal Navy or an air chief marshal in the Royal Air Force. Officers holding the ranks of lieutenant-general and Major-general (United Kingdom), major-general may be generically considered to be generals. Insignia A general's insignia is a crossed sword and baton. This appeared o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mogadishu
Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia, and has an estimated population of 2,388,000 (2021). Mogadishu is located in the coastal Banadir region on the Indian Ocean, which unlike other Somali regions, is considered a municipality rather than a (federal state). Mogadishu has a long history, which ranges from the Ancient history, ancient period up until the present, serving as the capital of the Sultanate of Mogadishu in the 9th-13th century, which for many centuries controlled the Indian Ocean gold trade, and eventually came under the Ajuran Empire in the 13th century which was an important player in the medieval Silk Road maritime trade. Mogadishu enjoyed the height of its prosperity during the 14th and 15th centuries a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heritage Oil
Heritage Oil is an independent Jersey-based oil and gas exploration and production company. Its activities are focused on Africa, the Middle East and Russia. In June 2014, the company was acquired by a fund owned by the former chief executive of Qatar's sovereign wealth fund. History The company was formed in 1992, to exploit oil reserves in Africa, the Middle East and Russia. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2008, and moved its head office from Calgary to Jersey also in 2008. In April 2009, the company disposed of its interests in Oman in order to focus on its core assets. In May 2009, the company discovered a major oil field following test results at the Miran gas field in Kurdistan. In November 2012, they decided to sell their remaining 49% interest to Genel Energy to repay a $294m (£185m) loan. In 2012/2013, Heritage made a strategic investment (app. 20%) in PetroFrontier Corp. and exploration of Australia's highly prospective Northern Territory situated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lieutenant Governor Of Jersey
The Lieutenant Governor of Jersey (, Jèrriais: ''Gouvèrneux d'Jèrri'') is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Jersey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown. The Lieutenant Governor has his own flag in Jersey, the Union Flag defaced with the Bailiwick's coat of arms. The Lieutenant Governor's official residence (Government House) in St. Saviour was depicted on the Jersey £50 note 1989–2010. Duties The duties are primarily diplomatic and ceremonial. The role of the Lieutenant Governor is to act as the ''de facto'' head of state in Jersey. The Lieutenant Governor also liaises between the Governments of Jersey and the United Kingdom. The holder of this office is also ex officio a member of the States of Jersey but may not vote and, by convention, speaks in the Chamber only on appointment and on departure from post. The Lieutenant Governor exercises certain executive functions relating broadly to citizenship (passports, deportation and n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkhas, and 28,330 volunteer reserve personnel. The modern British Army traces back to 1707, with antecedents in the English Army and Scots Army that were created during the Restoration in 1660. The term ''British Army'' was adopted in 1707 after the Acts of Union between England and Scotland. Members of the British Army swear allegiance to the monarch as their commander-in-chief, but the Bill of Rights of 1689 and Claim of Right Act 1689 require parliamentary consent for the Crown to maintain a peacetime standing army. Therefore, Parliament approves the army by passing an Armed Forces Act at least once every five years. The army is administered by the Ministry of Defence and commanded by the Chief of the General Staff. The Brit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RAF Strike Command
The Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom's bomber and fighter aircraft from 1968 until 2007 when it merged with Personnel and Training Command to form the single Air Command. It latterly consisted of two formations – No. 1 Group RAF and No. 2 Group RAF. The last Commander-in-Chief was Air Chief Marshal Sir Joe French. History Strike Command was formed on 30 April 1968 by the merger of Bomber Command and Fighter Command,RAF Timeline 1960–1968 RAF which became No. 1 Group and No. 11 Group respectively. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Operation Granby
Operation Granby, commonly abbreviated Op Granby, was the code name given to the British military operations during the 1991 Gulf War. 53,462 members of the British Armed Forces were deployed during the conflict. The total cost of operations was £2.434 billion (1992), of which at least £2.049 billion was paid for by other nations such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia; £200 million of equipment was lost or written off. The Joint Commander Gulf Forces, based in the United Kingdom at RAF High Wycombe, was Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Sir Patrick Hine 1 October 1990 – 31 March 1991, and Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon from 31 March 1991. His political adviser was Andrew Palmer. The Commander British Forces Middle East, the in-theatre commander, based in Riyadh, was initially Air Marshal (AM) Andrew Wilson (September–October 1990), then Lieutenant-General Sir Peter de la Billière 6 October 1990 – March 1991, and Air Vice-Marshal Ian Macfadyen from March 1991. The Air Comma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Territorial Army (United Kingdom)
The Army Reserve is the active-duty volunteer reserve force of the British Army. It is separate from the Regular Reserve whose members are ex-Regular personnel who retain a statutory liability for service. The Army Reserve was known as the Territorial Force from 1908 to 1921, the Territorial Army (TA) from 1921 to 1967, the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) from 1967 to 1979, and again the Territorial Army (TA) from 1979 to 2014. The Army Reserve was created as the Territorial Force in 1908 by the Secretary of State for War, Richard Haldane, when the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 combined the previously civilian-administered Volunteer Force, with the mounted Yeomanry (at the same time the Militia was renamed the Special Reserve). Haldane planned a volunteer "Territorial Force", to provide a second line for the six divisions of the Expeditionary Force which he was establishing as the centerpiece of the Regular Army. The Territorial Force was to be comp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
3rd Mechanised Division (United Kingdom)
The 3rd (United Kingdom) Division is a regular army division of the British Army. It was created in 1809 by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, for service in the Peninsular War, and was known as the Fighting 3rd under Sir Thomas Picton during the Napoleonic Wars. The division fought at the Battle of Waterloo, as well as during the Crimean War and the Second Boer War. As a result of bitter fighting in 1916, during the First World War, the division became referred to as the 3rd (Iron) Division, or the Iron Division or Ironsides. During the Second World War, the division (now known as the 3rd Infantry Division) fought in the Battle of France including a rearguard action during the Dunkirk Evacuation, and played a prominent role in the D-Day landings of 6 June 1944. The division was to have been part of a proposed Commonwealth Corps, formed for a planned invasion of Japan in 1945–46, and later served in the British Mandate of Palestin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Director Special Forces
Director Special Forces (DSF) is the senior British Armed Forces officer responsible for Special Forces. The post is a senior role within the Ministry of Defence (MoD). As Director, the incumbent is responsible for the provision of United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) capability to MoD, and holds Operational Command for discrete Special Forces operations. History The post of Colonel SAS (Special Air Service) was created in 1964; this post evolved into Director SAS with the post holder commanding the SAS corps from 1969. In March 1987, the post of Director SAS became Director Special Forces; it consisted of the Army's Special Air Service, Royal Navy's Special Boat Service and the Army's 14 Intelligence Company under the command of the DSF, who held the rank of brigadier, and with a Deputy, who held the rank of colonel. During the 2000s, the size of the directorate increased substantially with the inclusion of the Special Forces Support Group and the Joint Special Forces Aviation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commanding Officer
The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as they see fit, within the bounds of military law. In this respect, commanding officers have significant responsibilities (for example, the use of force, finances, equipment, the Geneva Conventions), duties (to higher authority, mission effectiveness, duty of care to personnel), and powers (for example, discipline and punishment of personnel within certain limits of military law). In some countries, commanding officers may be of any commissioned rank. Usually, there are more officers than command positions available, and time spent in command is generally a key aspect of promotion, so the role of commanding officer is highly valued. The commanding officer is often assisted by an executive officer (XO) or second-in-com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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