Admiral Sir Benjamin John Key, (born 7 November 1965) is a senior

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

officer. He has served as

First Sea Lord The First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS) is the military head of the Royal Navy and Naval Service of the United Kingdom. The First Sea Lord is usually the highest ranking and most senior admiral to serve in the British Armed Fo ...

since November 2021. He has commanded HM Ships ''Sandown'', and , and deployed on operations to

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

and

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

. He was appointed

Fleet Commander The Fleet Commander is a senior Royal Navy post, responsible for the operation, resourcing and training of the ships, submarines and aircraft, and personnel, of the Naval Service. The Vice-Admiral incumbent is required to provide ships, submarine ...

in 2016, and the Chief of Joint Operations in 2019.

Early life and education

Key was born on 7 November 1965. He was educated at

Bromsgrove School Bromsgrove School is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in the Worcestershire town of Bromsgrove, England. Founded in 1553, it is one of the oldest public schools in Britain, and one of the 14 founding members of the Headmaste ...

, an independent school in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. He studied

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Naval career

Key joined the

in 1984. He saw action as a Principal Warfare Officer in the frigate during the

Kosovo War The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the wa ...

in 1999. After briefly serving as commanding officer of the minehunter HMS ''Sandown'', he became commanding officer of the frigate in 2000 and in 2001. He went on to be a staff officer in the Directorate of Naval Resources and Plans at the Ministry of Defence in 2003, Advisor to the Director Joint Staff in the Iraqi Joint Headquarters in 2006 and then a staff officer at the

Permanent Joint Headquarters The Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) 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. The Permanent Joint Headquar ...

in Northwood in 2007. After that he became commanding officer of the aircraft carrier in February 2009, Commodore Joint Air Maritime Organisation in February 2010 and Director of Naval Plans and Resources at the Ministry of Defence in May 2011. Key was appointed Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Defence Staff in November 2011, and Flag Officer Sea Training in April 2013. He was appointed

and promoted to the rank of vice admiral on 10 February 2016. He became Chief of Joint Operations in April 2019. Key received the United States Bronze Star Medal in 2006 and was appointed

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 ...

(CBE) in the

2016 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2016 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

, and

Knight Commander of the 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 medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

(KCB) in the 2021 New Year Honours. He was awarded the

Honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

(D.Sc) by Royal Holloway, University of London on 20 December 2018. Key led

Operation Pitting Operation Pitting was a British military operation to evacuate British nationals and eligible Afghans from Afghanistan following the 2021 Taliban offensive. The operation consisted of more than 1,000 military personnel, including soldiers from ...

, the UK's evacuation efforts in Afghanistan following the

2021 Taliban offensive A military offensive by the Taliban insurgent group and other allied militants led to the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan based in Kabul and marked the end of the nearly 20-year-old War in Afghanistan, that had begun following the ...

, in August 2021 and, on 15 October, it was announced that Key was to be the next

. He assumed the post from Admiral Sir Tony Radakin on 8 November 2021.

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Key, Ben 1965 births Living people Royal Navy admirals First Sea Lords and Chiefs of the Naval Staff People educated at Bromsgrove School Alumni of Royal Holloway, University of London Foreign recipients of United States military awards and decorations Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Military personnel of the Kosovo War Royal Navy personnel of the Iraq War Military personnel from Warwickshire