Sir Andrew Pulford | |
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Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford c.2013
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Born | 22 March 1958 |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/branch | Royal Air Force |
Years of service | 1977–2016 |
Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
Commands held |
Chief of the Air Staff (2013–16) Air Member for Personnel (2010–13) No. 2 Group (2007–08) RAF Odiham (2001–03) No. 18 Squadron (1996–98) |
Battles/wars | |
Awards |
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
Falklands War
Operation Banner
Iraq War
Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Douglas Pulford, GCB, CBE, ADC (born 22 March 1958) 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 (CAS) on 31 July 2013, retiring from the Royal Air Force on 12 July 2016.
Born the son of Douglas and Jean Pulford, Pulford was educated at Magnus Grammar School in Newark.
Pulford joined the Royal Air Force as an acting pilot officer in January 1977, joining No. 72 Squadron, before spending many of his 5,000 flying hours piloting Chinooks with No. 18 Squadron from RAF Odiham. He was regraded to pilot officer in January 1978, and then promoted to flying officer in January 1979, and flight lieutenant in July 1981; seeing service in the Falklands War with C Flight on board RFA Tidespring, while on exchange service with the Royal Navy in 1982. He had an exchange tour with the Royal Australian Air Force between 1985 and 1987. Promoted squadron leader in January 1987, and to wing commander in January 1994, he became Officer Commanding No. 18 Squadron in 1996, and Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Air Staff in 1999.