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Air Chief Marshal
Sir Andrew Pulford
Andrew Pulford MoD photo
Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford
Nickname Andy
Born March 22, 1958(1958-03-22) (age 66)
Allegiance Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch Ensign of the Royal Air Force Royal Air Force
Years of service 1977 - present
Rank Air Chief Marshal
Commands held RAF Odiham
Joint Helicopter Force, Operation Telic
No. 2 Group
Battles/wars

Falklands War
Operation Banner
Iraq War

Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Douglas Pulford, KCB CBE ADC (born 22 March 1958)[1] is a senior Royal Air Force officer. A helicopter pilot with operational service in Northern Ireland, the Falklands War and Iraq, Pulford commanded RAF Odiham and No. 2 Group, and served as Assistant Chief of Defence Staff Operations before taking up the post of Deputy Commander-in-Chief Personnel at Air Command and Air Member for Personnel in 2010. He became Chief of the Air Staff on 31 July 2013.[2]

Early life[]

Born the son of Douglas and Jean Pulford, Pulford was educated at Magnus Grammar School in Newark.[1]

Service career[]

Pulford joined the Royal Air Force as an acting pilot officer in January 1977[3] and spent many of his 5,000 flying hours with No. 18 Squadron.[4] He was regraded to pilot officer in January 1978[5] and then promoted to flying officer in January 1979[6] and flight lieutenant in July 1981,[7] seeing service in the Falklands War with C Flight on board RFA Tidespring, while on exchange service with the Royal Navy in 1982.[1] He had an exchange tour with the Royal Australian Air Force between 1985 and 1987.[1] Promoted squadron leader in January 1987[8] and to wing commander in January 1994,[9] he became Officer Commanding No. 18 Squadron in 1996 and Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom) in 1999.[1] Promoted to group captain in January 2000,[10] he took the Higher Command and Staff Course at Shrivenham in 2001 before becoming Station Commander at RAF Odiham in December 2001 and being deployed as Commander Joint Helicopter Force Headquarters (JHFHQ) for Operation Telic in Iraq.[11] Appointed CBE in the Queens Birthday Honours 2004,[12] he was made Director Air Resources and Plans at the Ministry of Defence in August 2004 and, after being promoted to air commodore in January 2005,[13] he became Air Officer Commanding No. 2 Group[14] with the rank of air vice marshal in February 2007.[15]

Pulford then served as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff Operations from September 2008[16] until his appointment as Deputy Commander-in-Chief Personnel at Air Command and Air Member for Personnel with the rank of air marshal in September 2010.[17]

Pulford was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2013 New Year Honours.[18] He was also promoted to Air Chief Marshal on taking up the appointment of Chief of the Air Staff, in July 2013, the first helicopter pilot ever to be professional head of the Royal Air Force.[19]

Pulford's interests include military history, motorcycling, old cars and sailing.[1]

Air Marshal Pulford

Air Marshal Pulford in combat uniform

Family[]

In 1982 Pulford married Nicola Jane Pearse; they have a son and a daughter.[1]

Honours and awards[]

Order of the Bath UK ribbon

Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon General Service Medal 1962 BAR South Atlantic Medal w rosette BAR NATO Medal Yugoslavia ribbon bar

Iraq Medal BAR Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon Accumulated Campaign Service Medal 2011 BAR

Order of the Bath UK ribbon Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) 2013 New Year Honours[18]
Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) 2004 Birthday Honours[12]
General Service Medal 1962 BAR General Service Medal
South Atlantic Medal w rosette BAR South Atlantic Medal with Rosette
NATO Medal Yugoslavia ribbon bar NATO medal for the former Yugoslavia
Iraq Medal BAR Iraq Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal 2002
QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012
Accumulated Campaign Service Medal 2011 BAR Accumulated Campaign Service Medal

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Who's Who 2010, A & C Black, 2010, ISBN 978-1-408-11414-8
  2. "Helicopter Pilot becomes CAS". Royal Air Force. http://www.raf.mod.uk/news/archive/helicopter-pilot-becomes-cas-31072013. Retrieved 31 July 2013. 
  3. "No. 47154". 21 February 1977. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/47154/page/ 
  4. "Air Member for Personnel & Deputy Commander-in-Chief Personnel". Royal Air Force. http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/amp.cfm. Retrieved 27 January 2013. 
  5. "No. 47451". 30 January 1978. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/47451/page/ 
  6. "No. 47763". 5 February 1979. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/47763/page/ 
  7. "No. 48702". 11 August 1981. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/48702/page/ 
  8. "No. 50793". 5 January 1987. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/50793/page/ 
  9. "No. 53537". 31 December 1993. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/53537/page/ 
  10. "No. 55722". 4 January 2000. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/55722/page/ 
  11. "Battle Proven". Flight International. http://www.timripley.co.uk/articles/iraq_war.pdf. Retrieved 27 January 2013. 
  12. 12.0 12.1 "No. 57315". 12 June 2004. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/57315/page/ 
  13. "No. 57521". 4 January 2005. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/57521/page/ 
  14. "RAF Air Rank Appointments List 07/06 of 21 August 2006". Royal Air Force. http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcms/mediafiles/03842F2D_1143_EC82_2E9354529F6416D2.doc. Retrieved 27 January 2013. 
  15. "No. 58245". 13 February 2007. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/58245/page/ 
  16. "RAF Air Rank Appointments List 01/08 of 4 January 2008". Royal Air Force. http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcms/mediafiles/552FF238_1143_EC82_2EB93D60DD9287DF.doc. Retrieved 27 January 2013. 
  17. "RAF Air Rank Appointments List 04/10 of 18 June 2010". Royal Air Force. http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcms/mediafiles/4A09776A_5056_A318_A8D4188BAF2A8399.doc. Retrieved 27 January 2013. 
  18. 18.0 18.1 "No. 60367". 29 December 2012. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/60367/page/ 
  19. "New senior military officers appointed". Inside Government. 24 January 2013. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-senior-military-officers-appointed. Retrieved 24 January 2013. 

External links[]

Military offices
Preceded by
K J Leeson
Director Air Resources and Plans
2004 – 2007
Succeeded by
B M North
Preceded by
I W McNicoll
Air Officer Commanding No. 2 Group
2007 – 2008
Succeeded by
S J Hillier
Preceded by
C M Nickols
Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations)
2008 – 2010
Succeeded by
D A Capewell
Preceded by
S Bryant
Deputy Commander-in-Chief Personnel Air Command
Air Member for Personnel

2010 – 2013
Succeeded by
B M North
Preceded by
Sir Stephen Dalton
Chief of the Air Staff
2013 –
Succeeded by
Incumbent



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