Michael Walker, Baron Walker of Aldringham

The Lord Walker of Aldringham
Walker at the 2005 Sovereign's Day Parade at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
Born	(1944-07-07) 7 July 1944 (age 72) Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1966–2006
Rank	Field Marshal
Commands held	Chief of the Defence Staff Chief of the General Staff Land Command Allied Rapid Reaction Corps Eastern District 2nd Infantry Division 20th Armoured Brigade Royal Anglian Regiment
Battles/wars	The Troubles Gulf War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Commander of the Order of the British Empire Mentioned in Despatches Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States)

Field Marshal Michael John Dawson Walker, Baron Walker of Aldringham, GCB, CMG, CBE, DL (born 7 July 1944) is a retired British Army officer. Commissioned in 1966, he served in Cyprus, Northern Ireland, and in a variety of staff posts in the United Kingdom until 1984. After being given command of a battalion, he was mentioned in despatches for his service during a second tour of duty in Northern Ireland, this time in Derry, and subsequently served a tour on Gibraltar. He was promoted to brigadier, unusually having never held the rank of colonel, and took command of 20th Armoured Brigade in Germany before becoming I Corps chief of staff.

As a major general, Walker was appointed General Officer Commanding, Eastern District, before becoming Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff at the Ministry of Defence. He took command of NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), which deployed to the Balkans in 1995, Walker becoming the first officer to command the land component of the NATO-led Implementation Force. For his service with the multi-national forces in the Balkans, he was awarded the American Legion of Merit. After relinquishing command of the ARRC, Walker spent three years as Commander in Chief, Land Command, before being appointed Chief of the General Staff—the professional head of the British Army—in 2000. In 2003, he was promoted to Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS)—the professional head of all the British Armed Forces. While CDS, Walker attracted controversy during the modernisation of the armed forces, over allegations of prisoner abuse during the Iraq War, and over comments that the media coverage of Iraq may have endangered British troops.