John Holmes (British Army officer)
British Army Officer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Major General John Taylor Holmes, DSO, OBE, MC (born 22 July 1949) is a retired British Army officer who served as Director Special Forces from 1999 to 2001, which included command of Operation Barras in September 2000.
John Holmes | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 June 1949 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Branch | British Army |
Service years | 1970–2002 |
Rank | Major General |
| Unit | Special Air Service |
| Commands | 4th Division Director Special Forces 5th Airborne Brigade 22 Special Air Service Regiment |
Conflicts | Sierra Leone civil war |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross |
Military career
Holmes was commissioned into the Scots Guards in 1970.[1] In 1972 he was awarded the Military Cross for service in Northern Ireland.[2] He transferred to 22 Special Air Service in 1974 and was commanding officer of the regiment from 1989 to 1992.[3] He then commanded the Airborne Brigade for three years.[3] He worked for the Supreme Allied Commander Europe before being appointed Director Special Forces in 1999.[3] He was promoted to major general in 2001 and became General Officer Commanding 4th Division, before retiring in 2002.[3]
Post-military career
In 2002, Holmes joined Inkerman, a security and risk management company.[1] He is a Director of Erinys International, and the founder of Titon International.[1] Holmes joined the British Syrian Society in January 2018.[4] The BSS was set up, and is run, by Fawaz Akhras, the British-based father-in-law of President Bashar al-Assad. "It doesn’t mean I support the actions of President Assad and the Syrian government", Holmes told The Sunday Times. "I believe in dialogue ... Perhaps it [the BSS] is not the ideal vehicle for that, but at the moment it’s the only vehicle".[4]