John Reith (British army officer)
| Sir John Reith | |
|---|---|
Sir John Reith (left) and German Gen. Ranier Shuwirth receive an operations brief from Turkish Naval Captain at Allied Air Command,2007
|
|
| Born |
17 November 1948 Northumberland |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 British Army
|
| Years of service | 1969–2008 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | 1st Bn The Parachute Regiment Allied Command Europe Mobile Force (Land) Chief of Joint Operations |
| Battles/wars |
Gulf War Kosovo War Iraq War |
| Awards |
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service |
General Sir John George Reith KCB, CBE (born 17 November 1948) is a retired British Army general officer who was the Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR) with Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) from October 2004 to October 2007.
Reith was born on 17 November 1948 in Northumberland, and attended Eliots Green Grammar School (merged with Vincent Secondary Modern School to become Northolt High School in 1974) on Eastcote Lane in Northolt.
Reith was commissioned into The Parachute Regiment on 19 December 1969. He was promoted to lieutenant on 19 June 1971 and to captain on 19 December 1975. He was further promoted to major on 30 September 1980, lieutenant-colonel on 30 June 1985 and to colonel on 30 June 1989. Early appointments included 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment as a company commander, tours of Northern Ireland, (for which he was mentioned in despatches on 11 November 1986) command of 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment, and Chief of Staff of the 20 Armoured Brigade, Detmold, West Germany. He was promoted to brigadier on 31 December 1991 (seniority 30 June).
On 1 July 1997 he assumed the appointment of Commander Allied Command Europe Mobile Force (Land), with the rank of major-general; during this tour he commanded AFOR, the NATO-led multinational deployment to Albania to help resolve the Kosovo refugee crisis. He also negotiated the undertaking by the KLA to disarm during the closing stages of the crisis. In January 2000 he assumed the post of Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Policy) in the Ministry of Defence central staff.
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