Rupert Smith
Encyclopedia
General
Sir Rupert Smith KCB
, DSO
& Bar
, OBE
, QGM
(born 1943) was an officer in the British Army
until his retirement in 2002. He was educated at the Haileybury and Imperial Service College
and later at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
.
for services in Northern Ireland.
In June 1980 Smith was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and again in June 1985 to colonel. His promotion to brigadier came in December 1986.
In October 1990 Smith was promoted major-general taking command of the 1st Armoured Division which he led during the Gulf War
(1990–1991). For services during the war he was awarded the DSO
and the Order of King Abdul Aziz 3rd Class. The citation for the DSO, published in the London Gazette
reads:
He became the first Assistant Chief of Defence Operations and Security at the UK Ministry of Defence in August 1992. While there he was intimately involved in the UK's development of the strategy in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In January 1995 he was granted the acting rank of lieutenant-general and appointed Commander Bosnia and Herzogoena Command to command UNPROFOR in Sarajevo
. He was responsible for breaking the siege of the city by creating the UN Rapid Reaction Force, and ultimately thereby bringing the war to an end. His lieutenant-general rank was made substantive in April 1995 and he was awarded a second DSO in 1996 for his services in Bosnia and Herzegovena. Between 1996 and 1998 he was General Officer Commanding
Northern Ireland
. His final assignment, initially as an acting general, was as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe between 1998 and 2001, covering NATO's Operation Allied Force
during the Kosovo war
, and the development of the European Security and Defence Identity. His general's rank was made substantive on 1 January 1999. His retirement from the army took effect in January 2002.
He was appointed Honorary Colonel of Exeter University OTC in June 2003 having held periods of tenure as Colonel Commandant Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (November 1992 to November 1997) and Colonel Commandant The Parachute Regiment (July 1993 to September 1998). He also held the appointment of Aide-de-Camp General to the Queen
between August 2000 and November 2001.
that explains why the best military forces in the world win their battles but lose the wars. This is due to the paradigm change in military activity, from industrial war to the paradigm identified in the book as "war among the people
" -- a situation in which an outcome cannot be resolved directly by military force.
|-
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Sir Rupert Smith KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
& Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
, OBE
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...
, QGM
Queen's Gallantry Medal
The Queen's Gallantry Medal is the third level civil decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.It was instituted on 20 June 1974 to replace the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry, the British Empire Medal for Gallantry, and the Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry...
(born 1943) was an officer in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
until his retirement in 2002. He was educated at the Haileybury and Imperial Service College
Haileybury and Imperial Service College
Haileybury and Imperial Service College, , is a prestigious British independent school founded in 1862. The school is located at Hertford Heath, near Hertford, from central London, on of parkland occupied until 1858 by the East India College...
and later at the 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...
.
Military career
Smith enlisted in 1962 and graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant into the Parachute Regiment in December 1964. He has served in East and South Africa, Arabia, the Caribbean, Northern Ireland, Europe and Malaysia. He was promoted lieutenant in June 1966, captain in December 1970, and major in December 1975. In 1978, when a major, he was awarded the Queen's Gallantry MedalQueen's Gallantry Medal
The Queen's Gallantry Medal is the third level civil decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.It was instituted on 20 June 1974 to replace the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry, the British Empire Medal for Gallantry, and the Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry...
for services in Northern Ireland.
In June 1980 Smith was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and again in June 1985 to colonel. His promotion to brigadier came in December 1986.
In October 1990 Smith was promoted major-general taking command of the 1st Armoured Division which he led during the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
(1990–1991). For services during the war he was awarded the DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
and the Order of King Abdul Aziz 3rd Class. The citation for the DSO, published in the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
reads:
He became the first Assistant Chief of Defence Operations and Security at the UK Ministry of Defence in August 1992. While there he was intimately involved in the UK's development of the strategy in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In January 1995 he was granted the acting rank of lieutenant-general and appointed Commander Bosnia and Herzogoena Command to command UNPROFOR in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
. He was responsible for breaking the siege of the city by creating the UN Rapid Reaction Force, and ultimately thereby bringing the war to an end. His lieutenant-general rank was made substantive in April 1995 and he was awarded a second DSO in 1996 for his services in Bosnia and Herzegovena. Between 1996 and 1998 he was General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
Northern Ireland
HQ Northern Ireland
HQ Northern Ireland was the command formation responsible for the administration of all British Armed Forces stationed in and around Northern Ireland...
. His final assignment, initially as an acting general, was as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe between 1998 and 2001, covering NATO's Operation Allied Force
Operation Allied Force
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
during the Kosovo war
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
, and the development of the European Security and Defence Identity. His general's rank was made substantive on 1 January 1999. His retirement from the army took effect in January 2002.
He was appointed Honorary Colonel of Exeter University OTC in June 2003 having held periods of tenure as Colonel Commandant Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (November 1992 to November 1997) and Colonel Commandant The Parachute Regiment (July 1993 to September 1998). He also held the appointment of Aide-de-Camp General to the Queen
Aide-de-Camp General
One of the several categories of aides de camp to the Monarch in the United Kingdom is styled Aide de Camp General.These are honorary appointments for senior British Army generals, first made in 1910. There were originally four, but the number was reduced to three in 1988...
between August 2000 and November 2001.
Works
He is the author of The Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern World (2005, ISBN 0-7139-9836-9), a treatise on modern warfareModern warfare
Modern warfare, although present in every historical period of military history, is generally used to refer to the concepts, methods and technologies that have come into use during and after the Second World War and the Korean War...
that explains why the best military forces in the world win their battles but lose the wars. This is due to the paradigm change in military activity, from industrial war to the paradigm identified in the book as "war among the people
War among the people
War amongst the people is the term used to denote that the ability of nations to employ force with utility has declined in the face of a new paradigm: "the reality in which the people in the streets and houses and fields - all the people, anywhere - are the battlefield. Military engagements can...
" -- a situation in which an outcome cannot be resolved directly by military force.
External links
- Interview: Jasper Gerard meets General Rupert Smith for The Times Online
- The Utility of Force, book review at The Times Online
- The Utility of Force book launch at the Carnegie Council General Sir Rupert Smith Wednesday, January 24, 2007
- Book review in The Guardian
- Book review in The Washington Post
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