Major-General Zachary Raymond Stenning, is a senior

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer who served as the Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst from August 2022 to October 2024.

Early life and education

From 1985 to 1990, Stenning was educated at

Brighton College Brighton College is a fee-charging, co-educational, boarding and day public school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18 in Brighton and Hove, England. The school has three sites: Brighton College (the senior school, ages 11 to 18), Brighton Co ...

, an

independent school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

in Brighton. He undertook a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(BA) degree in War Studies at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

, graduating in 1994; he was a member of the first cohort for this degree.

Military career

Stenning was commissioned into the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

on 4 September 1995. He was transferred to the

Green Howards The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under variou ...

on 1 August 1996. In December 1997, he was awarded the

Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service The King's Commendation for Valuable Service is a British military award for meritorious service in an operational theatre. It was established in 1994, when the award of the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct and the Queen's Commendation f ...

"in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the former Yugoslavia during the period 21st December 1996 to 20th June 1997". He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 16 March 1998. In July 2008, he 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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Iraq during the period 1st October 2007 to 31st March 2008". In 2012, he saw active service as commanding officer of 3rd Battalion,

Yorkshire Regiment The Royal Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) (abbreviated R YORKS) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, created by the amalgamation of three historic regiments in 2006. It lost one battalion as part of the Future of ...

in Afghanistan during

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 Assi ...

. In March 2013, he was advanced to

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Afghanistan during the period 1 April 2012 to 30 September 2012". Stenning became chief of staff of

3rd (United Kingdom) Division The 3rd (United Kingdom) Division, also known as The Iron Division, is a regular army division of the British Army. It was created in 1809 by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, for service in the P ...

in October 2013, and was promoted to

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 (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

on 30 June 2014. He became commander of 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade in September 2016. In 2018, he was awarded the Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military) with 1 Clasp. He was promoted to major general on 29 July 2022, and appointed Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 12 August 2022. On 6 June 2021, Stenning was appointed colonel of the Yorkshire Regiment, an honorary and ceremonial appointment, for a term of five years in succession to Brigadier Andrew Jackson. He was appointed colonel commandant of the

Royal Army Veterinary Corps The Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC), known as the Army Veterinary Corps (AVC) until it gained the royal prefix on 27 November 1918, is an administrative and operational branch of the British Army responsible for the provision, training and c ...

on 1 June 2022, in succession to Lieutenant General

Roland Walker General Sir Charles Roland Vincent Walker (born 14 May 1970) is a senior British Army officer, who has served as Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, since 15 June 2024. Walker previously served as Deputy Chief ...

. He was made honorary colonel of the University of London Officers' Training Corps on 31 July 2022, in succession to Lieutenant General

James Bashall Lieutenant General James Ian Bashall, (born 3 April 1962) is a former British Army officer who served as Commander Home Command from 2015 to 2018. From 2019 to 2023 he was the National President of the Royal British Legion. Early life and educ ...

. Stenning 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 caregi ...

in the

2025 Birthday Honours The 2025 King's Birthday and Operational Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of Charles III, King Charles III to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stenning, Zachary Living people Officers of the Order of the British Empire British Army major generals Year of birth missing (living people) People educated at Brighton College Commandants of Sandhurst Alumni of King's College London Royal Engineers officers Green Howards officers Yorkshire Regiment officers 20th-century British Army personnel British Army personnel of the Iraq War British Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Companions of the Order of the Bath