Michael Smeath
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Smeath | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Smeath in 2023 | |
| Born | (1967-10-02) 2 October 1967 (age 58) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Service years | 1989–2026 |
| Rank | Air Vice-Marshal |
| Commands | RAF Regiment RAF Honington No. 34 Squadron RAF Regiment |
| Conflicts | Gulf War Bosnian War Iraq War War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
Air Vice-Marshal Michael John Smeath, CBE (born 2 October 1967) is a former senior Royal Air Force officer.
Smeath was born on 2 October 1967 in Woking, Surrey, England.[1]
He attended the William Alvey CE Primary School in Sleaford.[2] He grew up on Hervey Road,[3] and attended Sleaford Secondary Modern School, where he took part in competitive cross country running, and tennis,[4][5] and competed in cross country running at Lincoln College of Technology, which he left in 1986.[6] He competed at 800 metres in 1986.[7]
He undertook a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in international studies with the Open University, graduating in 2006.[1][8] The same year, he completed a Master of Arts degree in war studies via King's College London.[1] He later studied at Deakin University, Canberra, graduating with an MA in strategic studies.[9]
RAF career
Smeath joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) as an aircraft propulsion engineer in 1987.[8] He rose to the rank of senior aircraftman, before being selected for officer training in 1990.[1][8] He had worked on the Nimrod at RAF St Mawgan.[10]
Having attended the Royal Air Force College Cranwell,[1] he was commissioned on 21 June 1990 as a pilot officer, with seniority in that rank from 15 January 1989.[11] He served as officer commanding No. 34 Squadron RAF Regiment.[12] In October 1994, he was one of a group of five, taken hostage for five days.[13]
He went on to be Station Commander at RAF Honington in 2014,[14] Liaison Officer to the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee in July 2017 and Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Defence Staff in August 2018.[15] In February 2020 Smeath was appointed Head of the British Defence Staff and Defence Attaché in Washington, D.C., with effect from August 2020.[16] In January 2023, he was appointed director of the Global Defence Network in the Ministry of Defence;[17] as such, he was head of the UK's military attaché world wide network.[18] He retired from the Royal Air Force on 5 January 2026.[19]
Smeath was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2001 Birthday Honours,[20] and advanced to Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2018 New Year Honours.[21]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Smeath, Air Vice-Marshal Michael John, (born 2 Oct. 1967), Director Global Defence Network, Ministry of Defence, since 2023". Who's Who 2024. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ↑ Sleaford Standard Thursday 29 June 1978, page 14
- ↑ Sleaford Standard Thursday 7 May 1987, page 4
- ↑ Sleaford Standard Thursday 5 March 1981, page 22
- ↑ Lincolnshire Echo Tuesday 7 September 1982, page 10
- ↑ Lincolnshire Echo Monday 11 March 1985, page 11
- ↑ Lincolnshire Echo Saturday 10 May 1986, page 11
- 1 2 3 "Air Vice-Marshal Mick Smeath CBE". GOV.UK. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ↑ "Smeath, Air Vice-Marshal Michael John, (born 2 Oct. 1967), Defence Attaché, Washington, since 2020." WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 1 Dec. 2021
- ↑ Sleaford Standard Thursday 28 June 1990, page 5
- ↑ "No. 52254". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 August 1990. p. 13859.
- ↑ "RAF Leeming squadron rewarded for exceptional service". Harrogate Advertiser. 23 September 2005. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- ↑ The Scotsman Monday 31 October 1994, page 1
- ↑ "New station commander at RAF Honington". Bury Free Press. 21 December 2016.
- ↑ "Ministry of Defence and Tri-Service Senior Appointments" (PDF). September 2011. p. 7. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- ↑ "Senior Appointments 10 February 2020". raf.mod.uk. Royal Air Force. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- ↑ "Senior Appointments 2022". Royal Air Force. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ "Defence Diplomacy: A softer side of UK Defence". UK Parliament. Defence Sub-Committee. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ "No. 65011". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 March 2026. p. 4513.
- ↑ "No. 56237". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 June 2001. p. 7.
- ↑ "No. 62150". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2017. p. N7.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Head of the British Defence Staff – US and Defence Attaché 2020–2023 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Scott Miller |
Commandant-General of the RAF Regiment 2022–2026 |
Succeeded by Paul Tavus Hamilton |