UK Officer Lieutenant General Tim Radford previously served as Deputy Commander of NATO’s Op Resolute Support in Afghanistan and will take over from General Sir James Everard. The position will be taken up in Spring 2020, after Radford’s previous position as Commander of the Allied Reaction Corps in Gloucester.
The UK currently has over 1,00o troops deployed in the Baltics on behalf of NATO alongside Challenger II tanks and Wildcat and Apache helicopters. The UK currently has the largest NATO commitment of any nation.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “In NATO’s 70th year, the alliance retains all its relevance as the cornerstone of European security and I commend the work General Everard has done in maintaining that. The appointment of Lt Gen Radford embodies the role the UK plays in NATO – one of leadership and commitment.”
Lt. Gen. Tim Radford described the appointment as a great honour and said it was a time of significant transformation at NATO. Over 900 UK troops are currently mentoring future military leaders in Afghanistan and providing protection to NATO workers in the city of Kabul.
RAF pilots are due to return to Estonia later this year after conducting policing operations there three years ago and will patrol Icelandic skies for the first time too. This will allow the UK to work with allies on Euro-Atlantic air security.
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Afghanistan air security allies Europe Gavin Williamson NATO UK troops