Brian Burridge

Last updated

Sir Brian Burridge
Born(1949-09-26)26 September 1949 (age 74)
Maidstone, Kent, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branch Royal Air Force
Years of service1967–2006
Rank Air Chief Marshal
Commands held Strike Command (2003–06)
Joint Services Command and Staff College (2000–02)
No. 11/18 Group (1998–00)
RAF Kinloss (1990–92)
Battles/wars Iraq War
Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Kevin Burridge, [1] KCB , CBE , ADC , FCMI , FRAeS (born 26 September 1949) is a retired Royal Air Force officer. A former Nimrod pilot, Burridge was in overall command of British forces under Operation Telic during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Contents

RAF career

Brian Burridge joined the Royal Air Force as a university cadet (as a member of Cambridge University Air Squadron), being commissioned on 24 September 1967. [1] He was a pilot with an operational background in the maritime patrol role, serving on Nos 206 and 120 Squadrons.

Burridge was promoted to the rank of pilot officer on 15 July 1970, [2] to flying officer on 15 January 1971, [3] flight lieutenant on 13 April 1972 [4] to squadron leader on 1 July 1979 [5] and to wing commander on 1 July 1985. [6] In 1986 he attended the Royal Naval Staff College and then later that year went on to command the Nimrod Operational Conversion Unit. Promoted to group captain in 1990, [7] he became officer commanding RAF Kinloss.

From 1992 Burridge served in the Ministry of Defence, initially as Deputy Director of Force Doctrine (RAF) and later becoming the Director of Force Development in the Central Staff before being made Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Defence Staff in 1994 in the rank of air commodore. [8] In 1997 he attended the Cabinet Office Top Management Programme and then later in the year became a Defence Fellow at King's College London. In 1998 he attended the Higher Command and Staff Course being promoted to air vice marshal on 1 July 1998. [9] In January 2000 he became Commandant of the Joint Services Command and Staff College, subsequently moving the college into a Public Private Partnership at Shrivenham. On 12 February 2002, Burridge was promoted to air marshal and appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Strike Command. [10]

Burridge was in overall command of British forces under Operation Telic during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. [11] In June 2003, Burridge appeared before the Commons Defence Select Committee, telling MPs of delays in distributing equipment to troops in Iraq and of his role in vetoing potentially controversial air strikes while he was in command in Iraq. [12] He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath "for gallant and distinguished services whilst on operations in Iraq during the period 19 March to 19 April 2003" on 31 October 2003. [13]

In July 2003 Burridge became Commander-in-Chief RAF Strike Command. [14] He served as air aide-de-camp to Queen Elizabeth II from 31 July 2003 to 17 January 2006. [15] [16] He retired on 18 January 2006 with the rank of air chief marshal, [17] though his commission in the reserve was extended to January 2015. [18]

On 8 December 2009, Burridge gave evidence to The Iraq Inquiry. [19]

On 1 October 2018, Burridge assumed operational command of the RAeS. [20]

Interests

In 2005 Air Marshal Burridge was president of the RAF Mountaineering Association and a trustee of the Windsor Leadership Trust. Burridge sat as chair of the Bentley Priory Battle of Britain Trust and was present at the facility's closing ceremony in 2007. [21] [22] He attained a master's degree in business administration from the Open University. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Ellington</span> British Army general and Marshal of the Royal Air Force (1877–1967)

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Edward Leonard Ellington, was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force. He served in the First World War as a staff officer and then as director-general of military aeronautics and subsequently as controller-general of equipment. In the inter-war years he held command positions in the Middle East, in India and then in Iraq. He served as Chief of the Air Staff in the mid-1930s and in that role he implemented a plan, known as 'Scheme F'. This scheme implemented an increase in the size of the Royal Air Force to 187 squadrons within three years to counter the threat from Hitler's Germany. He also broke up the command known as "Air Defence of Great Britain" to create RAF Fighter Command, RAF Bomber Command, RAF Coastal Command and RAF Training Command. He then served as Inspector-General of the RAF until his retirement in 1940.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael James Graydon, is a retired Royal Air Force (RAF) officer. He was a fast jet pilot in the 1960s, a squadron commander in the 1970s and a station commander in the 1980s before serving as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Strike Command during the Gulf War. He was Chief of the Air Staff from 1992 to 1997, in which role he advised the British Government on the implementation of No Fly Zones in Iraq and Bosnia and implemented the Front Line First initiative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jock Stirrup</span> Senior commander in Britains Royal Air Force

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Graham Eric Stirrup, Baron Stirrup,, informally known as Jock Stirrup, is a former senior Royal Air Force commander who was the Chief of the Defence Staff from 2006 until his retirement in late 2010. He is now a Crossbench member of the House of Lords. In April 2013, he was appointed a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter by Queen Elizabeth II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn Torpy</span> Royal Air Force Air Chief Marshal (born 1953)

Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Lester Torpy, is a retired senior Royal Air Force (RAF) commander. He was a fast jet pilot in the late 1970s and 1980s, saw active service during the Gulf War and then went on to higher command. He was the air component commander on Operation Telic and served as Chief of the Air Staff, the professional head of the RAF, from 2006 to 2009. In that role Torpy hosted the RAF's biggest air display in two decades, and argued for consolidation of all British air power in the hands of the RAF.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Ted Squire, was a senior Royal Air Force officer. He was a fast jet pilot in the 1970s, a squadron commander during the Falklands War, and a senior air commander in the 1990s. Squire served as Chief of the Air Staff from 2000 to 2003. In retirement he was the chairman of the board of trustees of the Imperial War Museum and vice-chairman of the board of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Joseph Charles French,, often known as Sir Joe French, is a retired senior Royal Air Force officer who was the last Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Strike Command (2006–07).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Moran</span> Royal Air Force Air Chief Marshal (1956-2010)

Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Hugh Moran, was a fast jet pilot and later a senior commander in the Royal Air Force. He was Commander-in-Chief of Air Command at the time of his unexpected death.

Air Marshal David Walker, was a senior Royal Air Force officer. He was the Deputy Commander, Allied Joint Force Command at Brunssum in the Netherlands from 2011 to 2013, having previously served for over three years as Deputy Commander, Allied Air Component Command at Ramstein in Germany. Prior to that appointment he was Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Garwood</span>

Air Marshal Sir Richard Frank Garwood, is a retired senior Royal Air Force officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuart Peach</span> Royal Air Force officer (born 1956)

Air Chief Marshal Stuart William Peach, Baron Peach, is a British retired senior Royal Air Force officer. After training as a navigator, Peach commanded IX (Bomber) Squadron and then became Deputy Station Commander RAF Bruggen. He was deployed as NATO Air Commander (Forward) in Kosovo in 2000. He went on to be Chief of Defence Intelligence in 2006, Chief of Joint Operations in 2009 and the first Commander of Joint Forces Command in December 2011 before being appointed Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff in May 2013. Peach succeeded General Sir Nick Houghton as Chief of the Defence Staff on 14 July 2016. He succeeded General Petr Pavel as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee on 29 June 2018, serving as such until his retirement from NATO in June 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Dalton</span> Royal Air Force air marshal

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Gary George Dalton, is a retired senior officer of the Royal Air Force and former Lieutenant-Governor of Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuart Atha</span> Royal Air Force Air Marshal (born 1962)

Air Marshal Sir Stuart David Atha,, is a former senior officer of the Royal Air Force. He led No. 3 (Fighter) Squadron from 2000 to 2004, which included deployment to Iraq on Operation Telic, commanded RAF Coningsby (2006–08), No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group (2009–10) and No. 1 Group (2011–14), and served as the Air Component Commander for security during the 2012 London Olympics. Atha was RAF Deputy Commander Operations from 2016 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry North</span>

Air Marshal Sir Barry Mark North, is a retired senior Royal Air Force officer, who served as Deputy Commander (Personnel) at RAF Air Command. A helicopter pilot, North has held command appointments at all levels, notably No. 78 Squadron in the Falkland Islands, the Special Forces Flight as a squadron leader and the newly established No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group in the Middle East as an air commodore.

Air Marshal Sir Timothy Michael Anderson, is a retired senior Royal Air Force (RAF) officer. He served as the inaugural Director-General of the UK Military Aviation Authority (MAA) from 2010 to 2013. The MAA was established in response to the Haddon-Cave Review into the issues surrounding the loss of an RAF Nimrod over Afghanistan in September 2006. Earlier in his career, Anderson was a fast jet pilot, primarily flying the Tornado ground attack aircraft, and as Officer Commanding No. 14 Squadron led the United Kingdom's Tornado commitment to Operation Allied Force, the NATO air campaign over Kosovo in 1999, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. He is currently Chairman of the UK Airspace Change Organising Group Steering Committee, overseeing a national infrastructure programme on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport and the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Pulford</span>

Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Douglas Pulford, is a retired senior Royal Air Force (RAF) commander. A helicopter pilot with operational service in Northern Ireland, the Falklands War and Iraq War, Pulford commanded RAF Odiham and No. 2 Group, and served as Assistant Chief of Defence Staff Operations, before taking up the post of Deputy Commander-in-Chief Personnel at Air Command and Air Member for Personnel in 2010. He became Chief of the Air Staff on 31 July 2013, retiring from the Royal Air Force on 12 July 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Bagwell</span> Royal Air Force Air Marshal (born 1961)

Air Marshal Gregory Jack Bagwell, is a retired senior Royal Air Force (RAF) commander who served as Deputy Commander (Operations) at RAF Air Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Stringer</span>

Air Marshal Edward Jackson Stringer, is a retired Royal Air Force officer. Since April 2018 he has served as Director-General of the Defence Academy. He also served as Director-General of Joint Force Development, Strategic Command from April 2018 to March 2021. He served as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff from April 2013 to January 2015, and as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations) from March 2015 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Luck</span> Senior Royal Air Force officer

Air Vice-Marshal Christopher James Luck is a British charity executive and retired Royal Air Force officer. He was Commandant of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell from 2013 to 2016, and Commandant of the Joint Services Command and Staff College from 2017 to 2019. Since 2019, he has been CEO of the Shaw Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Knighton</span> Royal Air Force officer and professional head, and aerospace engineer

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard John Knighton, is a senior Royal Air Force (RAF) officer and professional engineer, currently serving as Chief of the Air Staff, the professional head of the RAF, since 2 June 2023. He previously served as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff from January 2015 to January 2017, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff at the Ministry of Defence, and as Deputy Commander Capability at RAF Air Command. Knighton is notable for being the first Chief of the Air Staff who is not a military pilot or indeed aircrew-qualified.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Duguid</span> Royal Air Force Air Vice-Marshal

Air Vice-Marshal Ian W. Duguid, is a retired senior Royal Air Force officer, whose final post was as Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group RAF, headquartered at RAF High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. Duguid was a Harrier pilot and Typhoon Force Commander before assuming the role of the Air Officer Commanding of No. 11 Group, which he served as from 2018 to November 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 "No. 44449". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 November 1967. p. 12344.
  2. ↑ "No. 45191". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 September 1970. p. 10106.
  3. ↑ "No. 45283". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 January 1971. p. 674.
  4. ↑ "No. 45648". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 April 1972. p. 4586.
  5. ↑ "No. 47911". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 July 1979. pp. 9361–9362.
  6. ↑ "No. 50195". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 July 1985. p. 9770.
  7. ↑ "No. 52200". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 July 1990. p. 11367.
  8. ↑ "No. 53537". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 January 1994. p. 20689.
  9. ↑ "No. 55220". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 August 1998. p. 8727.
  10. ↑ "No. 56478". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 February 2002. p. 1765.
  11. ↑ "Profile: Air Marshal Sir Brian Burridge". BBC News . BBC. 8 May 2003. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  12. ↑ "Boots too late for UK troops". BBC News . BBC. 11 June 2003. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  13. ↑ "No. 57100". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 October 2003. p. 2.
  14. ↑ "RAF Commands". Air of Authority. Archived from the original on 5 July 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  15. ↑ "No. 57018". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 August 2003. p. 9733.
  16. ↑ "No. 57875". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 January 2006. p. 630.
  17. ↑ "No. 57906". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 February 2006. p. 2497.
  18. ↑ "No. 59341". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 February 2010. p. 3089.
  19. ↑ "UK military chief told 'when not if' over Iraq invasion". BBC News . BBC. 8 December 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  20. ↑ "Royal Aeronautical Society announces new CEO". RAeS. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  21. ↑ McClatchey, Caroline (20 July 2007). "Sad salute to war command centre". BBC News . BBC . Retrieved 28 February 2010.
  22. ↑ Royston, Jack (15 June 2009). "Picnic concert at RAF Bentley Priory". Harrow Times. Newsquest . Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  23. ↑ Military leader and MBA graduate pays tribute to the OU Business School
Military offices
Preceded by Air Officer Commanding No. 11/18 Group
1998–2000		Group disbanded
Preceded by Commandant of the Joint Services Command and Staff College
2000–2002		Succeeded by
Preceded by Deputy Commander-in-Chief RAF Strike Command
2002–2003		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief RAF Strike Command
2003–2006		Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Air Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty The Queen
2003–2006		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.