Michael Harwood (RAF officer)
Encyclopedia
Air Vice-Marshal
Michael John Harwood CBE
ADC
(born 29 October 1958) is a senior serving Royal Air Force officer and is currently Defence Attaché and Head of the British Defence Staff - US
in Washington, D.C.
. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School
and at King's College London
(MA Defence Studies).
Harwood joined the RAF as a fast-jet pilot in 1978, initially serving as a Flying Instructor on Hawk
and Harrier GR3/T4 aircraft.
Harwood has held numerous senior appointments and commands during his RAF service, including:
Harwood was promoted Air Vice-Marshal
and appointed Head of the British Defence Staff - US
/ Defence Attaché in November 2008.
Air Vice-Marshal
Air vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
Michael John Harwood CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
ADC
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
(born 29 October 1958) is a senior serving Royal Air Force officer and is currently Defence Attaché and Head of the British Defence Staff - US
British Defence Staff - US
The British Defence Staff - US, which was previously known as British Defence Staff , is the home of the Ministry of Defence in the United States of America and its purpose is to serve the interests of Her Majesty's Government in the USA...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School
Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Merchant Taylors' School is a British independent day school for boys, originally located in the City of London. Since 1933 it has been located at Sandy Lodge in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire ....
and at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
(MA Defence Studies).
Harwood joined the RAF as a fast-jet pilot in 1978, initially serving as a Flying Instructor on Hawk
BAE Hawk
The BAE Systems Hawk is a British single-engine, advanced jet trainer aircraft. It first flew in 1974 as the Hawker Siddeley Hawk. The Hawk is used by the Royal Air Force, and other air forces, as either a trainer or a low-cost combat aircraft...
and Harrier GR3/T4 aircraft.
Harwood has held numerous senior appointments and commands during his RAF service, including:
- Commanding Officer, 20 Squadron RAFNo. 20 Squadron RAFNo. 20 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was until March 2010, the OCU for the BAE Harrier GR9, and T12, operating from RAF Wittering...
(Harrier Operational Conversion Unit), RAF WitteringRAF WitteringRAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station within the unitary authority area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Although Stamford in Lincolnshire is the nearest town, the runways of RAF Wittering cross the boundary between Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire....
(Wg CdrWing Commander (rank)Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
) - 1998 - 2000 - Commander British Forces (Gulf), Saudi Arabia (Gp CaptGroup CaptainGroup captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
) - 2000 - Station Commander, RAF CottesmoreRAF CottesmoreRAF Cottesmore was a Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England, situated between Cottesmore and Market Overton. The station housed all the operational Harrier GR9 squadrons in the Royal Air Force, and No 122 Expeditionary Air Wing...
, (Gp CaptGroup CaptainGroup captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
) - 2001 - Deployed Operating Base Commander, Kuwait (Op TELICOperation TelicOperation TELIC was the codename under which all British military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the Invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on 22 May 2011...
) (Gp CaptGroup CaptainGroup captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
) - 2003 - Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
Public Relations Directorate - Permanent Joint HeadquartersPermanent Joint HeadquartersThe Permanent Joint Headquarters is the British tri-service headquarters from where all overseas military operations are planned and controlled. It is situated at Northwood Headquarters in Northwood, London....
(PJHQ(UK)) - RAF Strike CommandRAF Strike CommandThe Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom's bomber and fighter aircraft from 1968 until 2007: it was merged with Personnel and Training Command to form the single Air Command. It latterly consisted of two formations - No. 1...
, RAF High WycombeRAF High WycombeRAF High Wycombe is a Royal Air Force station, situated in the village of Walters Ash, near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England. Its purpose is to serve the needs of the RAF Air Command, situated on the site. It is also the headquarters of the European Air Group... - Assistant Commandant (Air), Joint Services Command and Staff CollegeJoint Services Command and Staff CollegeJoint Services Command and Staff College is a British military academic establishment providing training and education to experienced officers of the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force, Ministry of Defence Civil Service, and serving officers of other states.-History:JSCSC combined the single...
- Chief of the ISAF Detachment, CENTAF Combined Air Operations Centre, Al UdeidAl Udeid Air BaseAl Udeid Air Base is a military base west of Doha, Qatar. It houses foreign coalition personnel and assets. It is host to a forward headquarters of United States Central Command, headquarters of United States Air Forces Central Command, and home to both No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group RAF and the...
(Air CdreAir CommodoreAir commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
) - Sep 07. - Air Officer CommandingAir Officer CommandingAir Officer Commanding is a title given in the air forces of Commonwealth nations to an air officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, an air vice marshal might be the AOC 38 Group...
83 Expeditionary Air GroupNo. 83 Group RAFNo. 83 Group was a group within the Royal Air Force's 2nd Tactical Air Force during the Second World War and the post-war era. In 2006, the group was re-established as No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group.-History:...
, Al UdeidAl Udeid Air BaseAl Udeid Air Base is a military base west of Doha, Qatar. It houses foreign coalition personnel and assets. It is host to a forward headquarters of United States Central Command, headquarters of United States Air Forces Central Command, and home to both No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group RAF and the...
(Air CdreAir CommodoreAir commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
) - 2008
Harwood was promoted Air Vice-Marshal
Air Vice-Marshal
Air vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
and appointed Head of the British Defence Staff - US
British Defence Staff - US
The British Defence Staff - US, which was previously known as British Defence Staff , is the home of the Ministry of Defence in the United States of America and its purpose is to serve the interests of Her Majesty's Government in the USA...
/ Defence Attaché in November 2008.