Douglas Chalmers
British Army general (born 1966)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lieutenant General Douglas McKenzie Chalmers, CB, DSO, OBE (born 26 February 1966) is a former British Army officer who served as Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy & Operations) from 2018 to 2021. He is currently Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.
26 February 1966
Douglas Chalmers | |
|---|---|
Chalmers in 2018 | |
| Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge | |
| Assumed office 1 October 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Fiona Reynolds |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Douglas McKenzie Chalmers 26 February 1966 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Education | Reddam House, Berkshire |
| Alma mater | School of Advanced Military Studies Trinity Hall, Cambridge |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1984–2022 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Unit | Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment |
| Commands | Task Force Helmand 12th Mechanised Brigade 2nd Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War War in Afghanistan Operation Inherent Resolve |
| Awards | |
Early life and education
Chalmers was born on 26 February 1966 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.[1] He grew up in England.[2] He was educated at Bearwood House, a private school in Berkshire, England.[3] Following school, he worked laying tarmac during the day and studying to re-take his A-Levels by night.[2]
Chalmers later completed a Master of Arts (MA) degree from the United States Army's School of Advanced Military Studies and a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree from Trinity Hall, Cambridge.[1]
Military career
Chalmers joined the British Army in 1984 as a private.[4] Having attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he was commissioned into the Royal Irish Rangers on 9 August 1986.[5]
He became commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment in July 2007 and, in that role, was deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan.[3] He went on to become commander of the 12th Mechanized Brigade in October 2011 and was deployed as commander of Task Force Helmand in April 2012.[3][6] After that he became the Chief of the Defence Staff's Liaison Officer to the United States Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in October 2013 and Assistant Chief of Staff (Operations) at Permanent Joint Headquarters in August 2014.[3]
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Chalmers was deployed on Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq in September 2015,[7] and became Deputy Commanding General-Support, III Corps and Fort Hood in August 2016.[3] He was appointed Commander 1st Class of the Order of the Dannebrog by the Queen of Denmark in May 2018.[8] He was promoted to lieutenant general and was appointed Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy & Operations) on 18 June 2018.[9][10] He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2021 Birthday Honours.[11] Chalmers was appointed to the ceremonial position as Colonel Commandant of the Queen's Division in November 2021,[12] serving for three years until November 2024.[13] He officially retired from the British Army on 19 February 2022.[14]
Later career
In February 2021, it was announced that Chalmers would succeed Fiona Reynolds as Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.[15] He took up the post on 1 October 2021.[16]
Following a pre-appointment hearing with the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee, he was announced as the next chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life.[17][18] He succeeded Lord Evans of Weardale as chair on 12 December 2023, to serve for a five-year term.[19]