Joe French
Royal Air Force officer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Air Chief Marshal Sir Joseph Charles French, KCB, CBE, ADC, FRAeS (born 15 July 1949) is a retired senior Royal Air Force officer who was the last Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Strike Command (2006–07).
Sir Joe French | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 July 1949 |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Service years | 1967–2007 |
| Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
| Commands | RAF Strike Command (2006–07) Personnel and Training Command (2003–06) Chief of Defence Intelligence (2000–03) RAF Odiham (1989–91) No. 7 Squadron |
| Conflicts | The Troubles |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Mentioned in Despatches |
RAF career
French joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1967 and qualified as a helicopter pilot, flying Wessex, Puma and Chinook.[1] Postings included Sharjah, Hong Kong, Germany and an operational tour of Northern Ireland in 1972, for which he was Mentioned in Despatches.[2] He was commanding officer of No. 7 Squadron (Chinook) at RAF Odiham, where he was later station commander (1989–91).[1]
French attended the RAF Staff College and the Royal College of Defence Studies.[1] Staff postings included aide-de-camp to the Chief of the Defence Staff, and Personal Staff Officer to the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Strike Command. He served on the staff of the Central Trials and Tactics Organisation, and was Head of the RAF Presentation Team.[1]
French served as Director of Air Force Staff Duties,[1] and as Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Policy),[1] before being appointed Director-General of Intelligence Collection.[1] He was Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI) from 2000,[1] and it was while he was CDI that the controversial September Dossier was drafted which attempted to assess the state of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.[1] He was appointed Commander-in-Chief Personnel and Training Command and Air Member for Personnelin 2003[1] and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Strike Command in 2006.[3]
French was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1991 New Year Honours,[4] and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 2003 New Year Honours.[5]
Retirement
Upon his retirement in 2007, French became President of the RAF Servicing Commando and Tactical Supply Wing Association.[6]