Martin Xuereb
Encyclopedia
Brigadier
Martin G. Xuereb (born 2 January 1968, Valletta
, Malta
) is the commander of the Armed Forces of Malta
, a position he assumed on 18 January 2010, succeeding Brigadier Carmel Vassallo.
in October 1988.
, Italy
. In 1990 as 2nd Lieutenant of the Armed Forces he completed the Commissioning Course at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
in the United Kingdom
, where he was awarded the "Oman prize" for academic achievement.
He holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Social Science with Politics from the Open University
, and an MA in International Relations
from Kings College London.
and in 1993 was appointed as Staff Officer III Personnel within Headquarters. Promoted to Captain, in 1996, he was posted to Brussels as Malta's Defence Attaché and Representative to the Partnership Coordination Cell of the Partnership for Peace.
Xuereb returned to Malta in 1997 and was appointed as Adjutant. Having been promoted to Major, Xuereb later was attached to Foreign Affairs and posted to Brussels as the Attaché for Common Foreign and Security Policy. He also served as Malta's Deputy Military Representative to the European Union
from 2004 to 2006, upon Malta's accession to the EU
.
A Colonel as of 2 November 2007, Xuereb was subsequently appointed as Deputy Commander of the Armed Forces of Malta on 9 January 2008. Xuereb temporarily returned to the UK between January and December 2009 where he was a member of the Royal College of Defence Studies
. On 18 January 2010 he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier and the same day, he assumed command of the Armed Forces of Malta from Brigadier Vassallo in a parade at the AFM headquarters in Luqa
barracks.
Xuereb has written on the financial challenges facing the modern AFM with regards to the global financial crisis in the United States Naval Institute
Proceedings
magazine.
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Martin G. Xuereb (born 2 January 1968, Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
) is the commander of the Armed Forces of Malta
Armed Forces of Malta
The Armed Forces of Malta is the name given to the combined armed services of Malta. The AFM is a brigade sized organisation consisting of a headquarters and three separate battalions, with minimal air and naval forces.- Headquarters, AFM :...
, a position he assumed on 18 January 2010, succeeding Brigadier Carmel Vassallo.
Biography
Xuereb was commissioned into the Regular Force of the Armed Forces of Malta into the rank of Second LieutenantSecond Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in October 1988.
Education
Xuereb completed an AUC course at the Infantry School of the Italian Army in CesanoCesano (RM)
Cesano is a frazione of the comune of Rome, Italy. It is a small medieval burgh on the Via Cassia, located in the municipality's Municipio XX, 27 km from Rome proper....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In 1990 as 2nd Lieutenant of the Armed Forces he completed the Commissioning Course at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where he was awarded the "Oman prize" for academic achievement.
He holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Social Science with Politics from the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
, and an MA in International Relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
from Kings College London.
Military career
Serving as a Lieutenant in 1991/92, Xuereb commanded a platoonPlatoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
and in 1993 was appointed as Staff Officer III Personnel within Headquarters. Promoted to Captain, in 1996, he was posted to Brussels as Malta's Defence Attaché and Representative to the Partnership Coordination Cell of the Partnership for Peace.
Xuereb returned to Malta in 1997 and was appointed as Adjutant. Having been promoted to Major, Xuereb later was attached to Foreign Affairs and posted to Brussels as the Attaché for Common Foreign and Security Policy. He also served as Malta's Deputy Military Representative to the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
from 2004 to 2006, upon Malta's accession to the EU
2004 enlargement of the European Union
The 2004 enlargement of the European Union was the largest single expansion of the European Union , both in terms of territory, number of states and population, however not in terms of gross domestic product...
.
A Colonel as of 2 November 2007, Xuereb was subsequently appointed as Deputy Commander of the Armed Forces of Malta on 9 January 2008. Xuereb temporarily returned to the UK between January and December 2009 where he was a member of the Royal College of Defence Studies
Royal College of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies is an internationally-renowned institution and component of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom...
. On 18 January 2010 he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier and the same day, he assumed command of the Armed Forces of Malta from Brigadier Vassallo in a parade at the AFM headquarters in Luqa
Luqa
Ħal Luqa is a village located in the south east of Malta. It is an old town that has a dense population, typical of the Maltese Islands. The population of Ħal Luqa is 6,028 . There is a church in its main square dedicated to St. Andrew. The traditional feast of St...
barracks.
Xuereb has written on the financial challenges facing the modern AFM with regards to the global financial crisis in the United States Naval Institute
United States Naval Institute
The United States Naval Institute , based at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is a private, non-profit, professional military association that seeks to offer independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national defense issues...
Proceedings
Proceedings (magazine)
Proceedings is a monthly magazine published by the United States Naval Institute since 1874. The 96-page publication features articles about Naval and Military matters written by active and retired military personnel plus renowned authors and scholars of their subject.-External links:* * ** by...
magazine.