Tim Radford (British Army officer)

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Sir Tim Radford
Radford in uniform, 2020
Born (1963-02-23) 23 February 1963 (age 61)
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1984–2024
RankGeneral
Commands heldAllied Rapid Reaction Corps
Force Troops Command
Task Force Helmand
19 Light Brigade
Battles/warsThe Troubles
Iraq War
War in Afghanistan
Sierra Leone Civil War
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Service Order
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service
Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States)
Alma materSt Chad's College, Durham (BA)
King's College London (MA)

General Sir Timothy Buchan Radford, KCB, DSO, OBE (born 23 February 1963) is a retired British Army officer who served as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Commander Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and Deputy Commander Resolute Support Mission.

Military career[edit]

Educated at Methodist College Belfast, Rugby School, Durham University (BA, Politics) and King's College London (MA, War Studies), Radford was commissioned into The Light Infantry in 1985.[1] He spent four years in command appointments before joining the School of Infantry as an instructor in 1989.[2] He attended Staff College, Camberley in 1995.[2] On promotion to colonel in 2005 he was appointed as Assistant Director of Counter Terrorism and United Kingdom Operations at the Ministry of Defence.[3] He went on to command 19 Light Brigade in 2008, during which he deployed as Commander of Task Force Helmand between April and October of that year and led the major offensive Operation Panther's Claw in Summer 2009.[4] Before Panther's Claw, Radford clashed with Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, who argued that it was flawed in concept and that there were not enough British forces to hold the ground.[5]

In January 2010 Radford was made Head of Overseas Operations in the Ministry of Defence and,[3] on promotion to major general in November 2011, he assumed the position of Chief of Staff of the ISAF Joint Command in Kabul, Afghanistan.[6] He took over as General Officer Force Troops Command in February 2013,[6] and in this capacity he oversaw the operation to provide medical assistance for the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014.[7] On promotion to lieutenant general in July 2015 he was selected as Deputy Commander Resolute Support Mission,[2] and then as Commander Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in July 2016.[8] He was promoted to general and assumed the appointment of Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe on 2 April 2020.[9][10] His term as DSACEUR ended in July 2023, and he retired from the army on 11 January 2024.[11][12]

Author Toby Harnden has described Radford, during his time as a Brigade commander in Afghanistan, as "a softly spoken, cerebral officer, [with] piercing blue eyes and an understated manner honed during years of operations in Northern Ireland and Iraq...a listener rather than a talker. His thoughtful, considered approach, [was] underpinned by great compassion "[4]

Honours and decorations[edit]

Radford was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in April 1994,[13] and Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2007 New Year Honours.[14] He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in March 2010.[15] Radford was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2016 Birthday Honours.[16] On 23 November 2018, Radford was awarded the US Legion of Merit with the degree of officer.[17] He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2021 Birthday Honours.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "No. 50006". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 January 1985. p. 504.
  2. ^ a b c "Lieutenant General Tim Radford". NATO. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  3. ^ a b Remembrance Day Lecture Archived 23 April 2013 at archive.today Bedford School
  4. ^ a b Harnden, Toby, "Dead Men Risen: The Welsh Guards and the Real Story of Britain's War in Afghanistan,"Quercus, 2011, p. 54
  5. ^ Harnden, Toby, "Dead Men Risen: The Welsh Guards and the Real Story of Britain's War in Afghanistan,"Quercus, 2011, p. 245
  6. ^ a b "Army Commands" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2015.
  7. ^ "Aid Boss Joins British Troops Battling Ebola". Sky News. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  8. ^ "No. 61656". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 July 2016. p. 16081.
  9. ^ "SHAPE welcomes new Deputy Commander". Allied Command Operations. Mons, Belgium. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  10. ^ "No. 62968". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 April 2020. p. 7124.
  11. ^ "Royal Navy Vice Admiral appointed new NATO commander". www.royalnavy.mod.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  12. ^ "No. 64327". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 February 2024. p. 3872.
  13. ^ "No. 53653". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 April 1994. p. 6166.
  14. ^ "No. 58196". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2006. p. 5.
  15. ^ "No. 59366". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 March 2010. p. 4834.
  16. ^ "No. 61608". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2016. p. B3.
  17. ^ "No. 62477". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 November 2018. p. 21275.
  18. ^ "No. 63377". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2021. p. B2.

Sources[edit]

  • Harnden, Toby (2011). Dead Men Risen: The Welsh Guards and the Real Story of Britain's War in Afghanistan. Quercus. ISBN 978-1849164238.

External links[edit]

Media related to Tim Radford at Wikimedia Commons

Military offices
Preceded by General Officer Commanding, Force Troops Command
2013–2015 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Deputy Commander Resolute Support Mission
2015–2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander Allied Rapid Reaction Corps
2016–2019 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe
2020–2023 		Succeeded by
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