General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Sir Gordon Kenneth Messenger, (born 15 April 1962) is a retired senior Royal Marines officer who served as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff from May 2016 to May 2019. As a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

he commanded

40 Commando 40 Commando RM is a battalion-sized formation of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of Commander in Chief Fleet. Their barracks are at Norton ...

during the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...

, and led the Commando in the assault on the Al-Faw Peninsula. He served as British Commander of

Task Force Helmand Task Force Helmand was the name given to a military unit of the International Security Assistance Force in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Task Force Helmand was part of Regional Command Southwest and consisted primarily of personnel from the Briti ...

, during the

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 from ...

deployment to

Helmand Province Helmand (Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering area. The province contains 13 ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

on Operation Herrick IX from 2008 to 2009.

Early life and education

Messenger was born on 15 April 1962 in Dundee, Scotland. He was educated at

King Edward VI School, Southampton King Edward VI School (also known as King Edward's, or KES) is a selective co-educational independent school founded in Southampton, United Kingdom, in 1553. The school was founded at the request of William Capon, who bequeathed money in hi ...

, then an all-boys school. He studied geography at the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_lab ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in 1983.

Military career

On 15 September 1983, Messenger was appointed an acting

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on a short career graduate commission, (with seniority from 1 September 1982), transferring to a full career commission on 21 May 1986 with seniority from 1 September 1984. At this time he also qualified as a Mountain Leader.Royal Marines Website
retrieved 2 March 2009. In 1995 he graduated from the Canadian Forces Command and Staff Course No 21. He was promoted substantive major on 30 June 1997, having previously held the rank locally. Messenger served with British forces in the former

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

in 2000 (Kosovo), for which he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). In 2001 he took command of

. He was promoted substantive colonel on 30 June 2002, having previously held the rank on an acting basis. For his leadership of

(and attached army units) in Iraq, including the initial assault on Al Faw peninsular, and an action against Iraqi armour at Abu Al Khasib, he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

(DSO) on 31 October 2003. After a sabbatical in Geneva, he joined the Joint Force Headquarters as Chief of Staff in July 2004, a job that saw him on various operations worldwide, including Operation Garron, the 2004 tsunami relief effort,

Operation Highbrow Operation Highbrow was a British Ministry of Defence (MoD) operation to evacuate civilians from Beirut as a result of the escalating 2006 Lebanon War. Initially, helicopters started ferrying the most vulnerable to Cyprus with several Royal Nav ...

, the Lebanon evacuation operation, and a six-month tour in command of the

Operation Herrick Operation Herrick was the codename under which all British operations in the War in Afghanistan were conducted from 2002 to the end of combat operations in 2014. It consisted of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Ass ...

preliminary operation in

. He graduated from the UK Higher Command and Staff Course in 2007 and was promoted

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

on 24 April 2007. On 1 April 2008 he was appointed an aide-de-camp to the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

Messenger served as the British Commander of

, during the

deployment to

on Operation Herrick IX in 2008–2009. For his leadership during this operation he was awarded a

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

to his DSO on 11 September 2009, the first member of the Naval Service to receive the DSO and Bar for over 50 years.General seeks support for troops
''

The Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet ...

'', 18 December 2009. Retrieved on 10 February 2010 He was promoted

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in late 2009, and appointed lead spokesman on British operations in Afghanistan. He went on to be Chief of Staff (Operations) at

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 ...

, Northwood in 2011 and became Director Force Reintegration HQ

International Security Assistance Force ' ps, کمک او همکاري ' , allies = Afghanistan , opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda , commander1 = , commander1_label = Commander , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , command ...

in October 2012. He served as Deputy Commander of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Allied Land Command Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) formerly Allied Land Forces South-Eastern Europe (LANDSOUTHEAST) is the standing headquarters for NATO land forces which may be assigned as necessary. The Commander LANDCOM is the primary land warfare advisor to Su ...

(LANDCOM)-Izmir from January 2013 until June 2014 when he was assigned to the post of Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations) in the Ministry of Defence. He was promoted to

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 ...

on 14 January 2013. On 1 December 2015, Messenger appeared in front of the Defence Select Committee of the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

in relation to the military situation in Syria. On 15 March 2016, he was in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

to observe British troops participating in Operation Key Resolve. Messenger handed over his role of Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations) to Lieutenant General

Mark Carleton-Smith General Sir Mark Alexander Popham Carleton-Smith, (born 9 February 1964) is a senior British Army officer. He served as Chief of the General Staff from June 2018 to June 2022, succeeding General Sir Nick Carter. He was succeeded by General Sir ...

on 18 April 2016. He was appointed as Vice Chief of the Defence Staff in spring 2016, in succession to Air Chief Marshal Stuart Peach. Messenger was formally promoted to full

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

on 16 May 2016. He is the first four-star Royal Marine general since 1977. Messenger was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the

2015 Birthday Honours The 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as ...

, and a

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 ...

in the

2016 Birthday Honours The 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...

. He is patron of the Defence Medical Welfare Service, and honorary Colonel of

131 Commando Squadron Royal Engineers 131 Commando Squadron Royal Engineers is an Army Reserve unit and part of 24 Commando Regiment Royal Engineers. It provides engineering support to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines (3 Cdo Bde RM) and is the largest Army Reserve Commando unit. The ...

. Messenger retired from the Royal Marines in May 2019. On 6 December 2021 Messenger was appointed

Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom The Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom is a now honorary office generally held by a senior (possibly retired) Royal Navy admiral, though the current incumbent is a retired Royal Marine General. Despite the title, the Rear-Admiral of the Unit ...

, the first time that a Royal Marine has held the role.

Later life

In April 2022, it was announced that he had been appointed

Constable of the Tower of London The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the Middle Ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner—the king or a nobleman—was not in residence. The Constable of the Tower had a ...

. He took up the post on 1 August 2022, and is the first Royal Marine to hold the post. On 5 October 2022, he was officially installed as the 161st Constable of the Tower during a service at the Tower of London.

Messenger review

Messenger was appointed in October 2021 to lead a review of leadership in the

English NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the publicly funded healthcare system in England, and one of the four National Health Service systems in the United Kingdom. It is the second largest single-payer healthcare system in the world after the ...

. The review considered the "pay and incentives" offered to the service's most senior figures, as well as the "effective systems for intervention and recovery in both providers and

integrated care system In England, an integrated care system (ICS) is a statutory partnership of organisations who plan, buy, and provide health and care services in their geographical area. The organisations involved include the NHS, local authorities, voluntary and cha ...

s", and was to report by May 2022. The King's Fund produced a timeline of recent major NHS reviews, most of which had little impact.

Sajid Javid Sajid Javid (; born 5 December 1969) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from June 2021 to July 2022, having previously served as Home Secretary from 2018 to 2019 and Chancellor of the Exchequer ...

welcomed the report saying: "The findings in this report are stark, it shows examples of great leadership but also where we need to urgently improve," but according to the Health Service Journal it was full of well-meaning and often well-judged sentiments – but the recommendations were either peripheral or so vague as to be virtually worthless with the only significant recommendation being the introduction of a single set of "core leadership and management standards". It also overlapped with the review of the application of the

Fit-and-proper-person test The fit-and-proper-person test or director's test is a test aiming to prevent corrupt or untrustworthy people from serving on the board of certain organizations. First introduced in 2004 for owners and directors of major British football clubs, sin ...

to the NHS.

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 f ...

said the review addressed “none of the issues that affect the great majority of people, or at least not directly”, and that it also contained contradictory positions on diversity, inclusion and bullying. it was also pointed out that – by any reasonable definition – the NHS has “far too few managers” with low spending on administration and planning compared to other healthcare systems.

Family

Messenger is married to Sarah and they have three children. He enjoys running, rugby, rock climbing, golf, gardening and real ale.

References

External links

General Gordon Messenger

The Navy List 2006
, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Messenger, Gordon 1962 births Living people Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order 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) People educated at King Edward VI School, Southampton Alumni of the University of Leicester Military personnel from Dundee