Michael Boyce, Baron Boyce
| The Lord Boyce | |
|---|---|
Boyce in 2002
|
|
| Born |
2 April 1943 Cape Town, South Africa |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1961–2003 |
| Rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
| Commands held |
Chief of the Defence Staff First Sea Lord Commander-in-Chief Fleet Naval Home Command HMS Brilliant HMS Superb HMS Opossum HMS Oberon |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War |
| Awards |
Knight of the Order of the Garter Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Officer of the Order of the British Empire Knight of Justice of the Order of Saint John Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States) |
| Other work | Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (2004 – present) |
Admiral of the Fleet Michael Cecil Boyce, Baron Boyce, KG GCB OBE DL (born 2 April 1943) is a former Royal Navy officer who now sits as a crossbench member of the House of Lords.
Boyce commanded three submarines and then a frigate before achieving higher command in the Navy and serving as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff from 1998 to 2001 and then as Chief of the Defence Staff from 2001 to 2003. As Chief of Defence Staff he is believed to have had concerns about US plans for a national missile defence system. In early 2003 he advised the British Government on the deployment of troops for the invasion of Iraq, seeking assurances as to the legitimacy of the deployment before it was allowed to proceed.
The son of Commander Hugh Boyce DSC and Madeline (née Manley), Boyce was educated at Hurstpierpoint College and the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. He joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1961 and, having trained as a submariner, was confirmed in the rank of sub-lieutenant on 10 December 1965, promoted to lieutenant on 30 August 1966 and saw service in the submarines HMS Anchorite, HMS Valiant and HMS Conqueror. He completed the Submarine Command Course in 1973, became commanding officer of the submarine HMS Oberon in the same year and, having been promoted to lieutenant-commander on 8 January 1974, was given command of the submarine HMS Opossum later that year.
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