Air Marshal Ian David Gale, is a senior officer in the

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 ...

. He is currently serving as Director-General of Joint Force Development, Strategic Command.

Early life and education

Gale was educated at

Sir Thomas Picton School Sir Thomas Picton School was a secondary school in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, with around 1,250 students, 200 of whom were in Years 12 and 13. The school catered for pupils from all over Pembrokeshire, serving towns such as Haverfor ...

, a

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...

Haverfordwest Haverfordwest (, ; cy, Hwlffordd ) is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales, and the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire with a population of 14,596 in 2011. It is also a community, being the second most populous community in the county, ...

, Pembrokeshire, Wales. He joined the

(RAF) after finishing school. He studied for a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in

defence studies Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mil ...

and

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

, graduating in 2006. He studied for a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

with the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...

, graduating in 2012.

RAF career

Gale joined the RAF in 1989. After attending the

Royal Air Force College Cranwell The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force military academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to become commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and ...

, he was commissioned as an

acting pilot officer Acting pilot officer (A/Plt Off) is the lowest commissioned grade in the Royal Air Force. Acting pilot officer is not an actual military rank, therefore acting pilot officers are regraded to pilot officer instead of receiving a promotion. Unl ...

on 26 September 1989. He served as a fast jet pilot and weapons instructor from 1989 to 2005 and, in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours, was appointed a

Member 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 ...

. Gale became

officer commanding The officer commanding (OC), also known as the officer in command or officer in charge (OiC), is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit (smaller than battalion size), principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, ...

No. 31 Squadron in 2008, and

station commander 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 Lossiemouth Royal Air Force Lossiemouth or more commonly RAF Lossiemouth is a military airfield located on the western edge of the town of Lossiemouth in Moray, north-east Scotland. Lossiemouth is one of the largest and busiest fast-jet stations in the ...

in 2011. After obtaining operational experience as Deputy Air Component Commander for

Operation Ellamy Operation Ellamy was the codename for the United Kingdom participation in the 2011 military intervention in Libya. The operation was part of an international coalition aimed at enforcing a Libyan no-fly zone in accordance with the United Nation ...

, he became Assistant Chief of Staff for command, control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance programmes in 2015. In April 2019, he was promoted to

air vice-marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...

and became Assistant Chief of the Air Staff. In April 2021, he was promoted to air marshal and appointed Director-General of Joint Force Development, Strategic Command. On 17 May 2021, Air Vice-Marshal Simon Edwards replaced him as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff following his appointment as Director-General of Joint Force Development.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Gale, Ian Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Alumni of the Open University Alumni of King's College London Members of the Order of the British Empire Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force air marshals 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel 21st-century Royal Air Force personnel Royal Air Force personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)