Air Commodore Barbara Cooper, (born 1958) is a retired

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(RAF) officer and former Commandant of the Air Cadet Organisation. She was promoted to air commodore in 2008 and became the RAF's highest-ranking female. She became the Assistant Chief of Staff (Manning) at Air Command

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

. She previously served at the tri-service military

Defence Academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

Shrivenham Shrivenham is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England, about south-west of Faringdon. The village is close to the county boundary with Wiltshire and about east-northeast of Swindon. The 2011 Census recorde ...

as Division Director.

Early life

Born in Canada, Cooper moved with her family to Britain at the age of eleven. They lived in Worcestershire, where Cooper attended Evesham High School.Barbara takes command of Air Cadets
" (28 May 2010). ''RAF Air Cadets News''.

Military career

On a short service commission in 1979, Cooper joined the

Women's Royal Air Force The Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) was the women's branch of the Royal Air Force. It existed in two separate incarnations: the Women's Royal Air Force from 1918 to 1920 and the Women's Royal Air Force from 1949 to 1994. On 1 February 1949, the ...

(WRAF) in the role of air-traffic controller, at a time when far fewer women were in the service.Staff writer. (20 January 2010). "The sky's the limit". ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'': p. 3. She served for seven years. She was promoted from flying officer to

flight lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

on 3 June 1984. She transferred to the reserves on 2 February 1985. On leaving, Cooper went on to gain qualifications in property management. Finding she missed the service, she chose to return to the WRAF, entering the Administrative Branch as a flight lieutenant on 16 October 1987 with seniority from 16 April 1987. From the 1980s, Cooper had a number of postings, including as staff officer to the Chief of the Air Staff (the most senior position in the RAF). During the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, she had responsibility for running the Prisoner of War Information Bureau, acting as liaison to the International Committee of the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

. Cooper was promoted to

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...

on 5 January 1993, and to wing commander on 1 July 1997. Cooper served a two-year tenure at

RAF Lyneham Royal Air Force Lyneham otherwise known as RAF Lyneham was a Royal Air Force station located northeast of Chippenham, Wiltshire, and southwest of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The station was the home of all the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transpor ...

(to March 2000), in which she was in charge of base support and where her staff provided operational support for troop movements to

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

."The Armed Forces" (30 December 2000). ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

''. Thereafter she was stationed at Joint Services Command and Staff College (JSCSC) at

,"Head is honoured on the eve of retirement". (5 January 2001). ''This is Wiltshire''. Newsquest Regional Press. which relocated there in the same year.Joint Services Command and Staff College
" (2010). '' Defence Academy of the United Kingdom''. Cooper was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the

2001 New Year Honours The 2001 New Year Honours List is one of the annual New Year Honours, a part of the British honours system, where New Year's Day, 1 January, is marked in several Commonwealth countries by appointing new members of orders of chivalry and recipient ...

. During the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

, Cooper served as Deputy Director Service Personnel Policy (Operations and Manning), which includes operational welfare policy, and included reporting before the government

Select Committee Select committee may refer to: *Select committee (parliamentary system), a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues *Select or special committee (United States Congress) *Select ...

on Defence.Defence – Third Report
(Jan–Mar 2010)

Defence Select Committee The Defence Select Committee is one of the Select Committees of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, having been established in 1979. It examines the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Ministry of Defence and its associated pub ...

. '' Defence Committee Publications'': pp. Ev 301, 344. She was promoted to

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

on 31 October 2003 "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in connection with operations in Iraq during the period 19th March to 19th April 2003". In 2005, Cooper assumed the role of Director Royal Air Force Division at the

, which formed in April 2002 as a consolidation of the constituent colleges such as the JSCSC, and Royal College of Defence Studies.Maynard, Graham. (November 2003).
Scholarly soldiers
". ''Defence Management Journal''. PSCA International: pp. 112–116. From 2007 Cooper was appointed Assistant Chief of Staff Manpower and Personnel Capability at RAF Air Command HQ. At the beginning of the following year, Cooper was promoted from group captain to the rank of air commodore, becoming the most senior female officer in the British armed forces.Officer Promotions
" (1 January 2008). Royal Air Force. From May 2010 Cooper became the senior officer responsible for running the Air Cadet Organisation. Her first public appearance in her new Commandant role followed one week later at the Cadet150 reception commemorating 150 years of the Cadet Forces of the tri-Service military. The following month she attended the second of the two

sesquicentenary An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints. ...

events, a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, where she spoke to Air Training Corps members from all over the UK.Right Royal treat for honoured volunteers
". (3 June 2010). ''RAF Air Cadets News''. Royal Air Force.

Personal life

Cooper lives in Cirencester with her husband William, a retired RAF officer. Among those she admires she considers suffragette

Emmeline Pankhurst Emmeline Pankhurst ('' née'' Goulden; 15 July 1858 – 14 June 1928) was an English political activist who organised the UK suffragette movement and helped women win the right to vote. In 1999, ''Time'' named her as one of the 100 Most Impo ...

her greatest inspiration. Her interests include gardening, cycling and watching horseriding events. She lists her favourite author as Shakespeare, she enjoys gardening, walking, cycling and the theatre and is president of the RAF Theatrical Association and the RAF Netball Association. In 2012 she was elected to the Council of the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Barbara Royal Air Force Air Cadets Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Living people Royal Air Force air commodores Royal Air Force personnel of the Gulf War Women in the Royal Air Force 1959 births Canadian emigrants to England Women in warfare post-1945 Women's Royal Air Force officers People from Evesham