General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Gwyn Jenkins, is a senior

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

officer, serving as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff since August 2022. He was concurrently appointed

Commandant General Royal Marines The Commandant General Royal Marines is the professional head of the Royal Marines. The title has existed since 1943. The role is held by a General who is assisted by a Deputy Commandant General, with the rank of brigadier. This position is not t ...

in November 2022.

Early life and education

Jenkins was educated at Malmesbury School. He graduated from the Military College Shrivenham in 2004, where he completed a master's degree in Defence Studies.

Military career

Jenkins was commissioned into the Royal Marines in 1990. He spent time as a

junior officer Junior officer, company officer or company grade officer refers to the lowest operational Officer (armed forces), commissioned officer category of ranks in a military or paramilitary organization, ranking above non-commissioned officers and below ...

in the Commando Logistics Regiment and on operations in Northern Ireland with

42 Commando 42 Commando (42 Cdo) (pronounced as Four-Two Commando) is a subordinate unit within the Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade. Based at Bickleigh Barracks near Plymouth, personnel regularly deploy outside the United Kingdom on operations or training. ...

. Jenkins became commanding officer of his unit in 2009. He was promoted to colonel and deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 before becoming Military Assistant to the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

in 2012. He went on to become

Deputy National Security Adviser The United States Deputy National Security Advisor is a member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and the United States National Security Council, serving under the President's National Security Advisor. Among other r ...

for Conflict, Stability and Defence in 2016, commander

3 Commando Brigade 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), previously called the 3rd Special Service Brigade, is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces. It is composed of the Royal Marine Commandos, alongside commando qualified sailors, soldiers and airmen f ...

in 2017, and

Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Policy) The Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (A.C.N.S.) is a senior appointment in the Royal Navy usually a two-star rank and has a NATO ranking code of OF-7. History The Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff was originally directly responsible to the Fir ...

in 2019. Jenkins was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

in the

2021 New Year Honours The 2021 New Year Honours are 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 celebration ...

As a general

Jenkins was promoted to

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

on 30 August 2022, skipping the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

, and took up the post of Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff. He is the first Royal Marine full general after Sir Gordon Messenger since 2016 and only the second since 1977. At the same time he was made an Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the Queen. Jenkins also became

on 25 November, succeeding Lieutenant General

Robert Magowan Lieutenant General Robert Andrew Magowan, (born 12 September 1967) is a senior Royal Marines officer who serves as the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Financial and Military Capability) since May 2022. He previously served as Commandant Gene ...

References

, - Companions of the Order of the Bath Living people Officers of the Order of the British Empire Royal Marines generals Royal Navy personnel of the Iraq War Royal Navy personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Year of birth missing (living people) {{England-mil-bio-stub