Mark Carleton-Smith

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General

Sir Mark Carleton-Smith

GCB CBE DL
File:Chief of the General Staff inspects the new Gurkhas (cropped).jpg
Carleton-Smith in 2018
Born (1964-02-09) 9 February 1964 (age 62)
Bielefeld, West Germany
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
BranchBritish Army
Service years1982–2022
RankGeneral
Service number515762
UnitIrish Guards
Commands
Conflicts
Awards
Spouse
Catherine Nalder
​
(m. 1991)​
Children2

General Sir Mark Alexander Popham Carleton-Smith, GCB, CBE, DL (born 9 February 1964) is a senior British Army officer who served as Chief of the General Staff from June 2018 to June 2022.[1] He previously served as Director Special Forces and commanded 22 Special Air Service Regiment.[2]

Early life and education

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Born on 9 February 1964 at Bielefeld, West Germany,[3] to Major General Sir Michael Carleton-Smith,[4] he began his education at Cheltenham College Junior School,[5] before attending Eton College, an all-boys public school.[6] In 1982, he went to Hatfield College, Durham, to pursue an Army-sponsored degree in Politics and Modern History.[4][7] He graduated from Durham University with a lower second class Bachelor of Arts degree in 1985.[7]

Military career

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Carleton-Smith was commissioned into the Irish Guards on 3 September 1982,[8] before going up to Durham, graduating as BA. He was promoted to lieutenant on 6 September 1985 (with seniority from 9 April),[9] then to captain on 9 April 1989,[10] and then to major on 30 September 1995.[11] After operational service in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, he was deployed to the Gulf War in 1991,[12] and then saw active service as an SAS squadron commander in Bosnia later in the 1990s.[13]

Carleton-Smith became Chief of Staff of 19 Mechanized Brigade in 1999 and served as Chief of Staff HQ Multi-National Brigade Centre during the Kosovo War later that year.[12] In recognition of his military service in Kosovo, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2000 New Year Honours,[14] and then awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service on 3 November 2000.[15]

Promoted to lieutenant colonel on 30 June 2001,[16] Carleton-Smith became Military Assistant to the Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces,[12] becoming Commanding Officer of 22 Special Air Service Regiment in 2002. After serving during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and also during operations in Afghanistan,[13] he was advanced Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on 23 April 2004.[17] Promoted colonel on 30 June 2005,[18] he became Deputy Director Policy Planning at the Ministry of Defence at that time.[12]

Promoted to brigadier on 31 December 2006 with seniority from 30 June 2006,[19] Carleton-Smith became commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade that year and was deployed to Afghanistan as commander of Task Force Helmand and commander of British Forces there in April 2008.[20] In August 2008 he led Operation Eagle's Summit, which involved a daring foray into Taliban territory.[21] He was promoted Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services in Afghanistan on 6 March 2009.[22]

Carleton-Smith became Director of Army Plans and Resources at the Ministry of Defence in January 2009 and, following promotion to major general on 20 February 2012,[23] he became Director Special Forces.[24] In July 2022, the BBC published a report alleging evidence that "SAS operatives in Afghanistan repeatedly killed detainees and unarmed men in suspicious circumstances," while Carleton-Smith, then Director Special Forces, "failed to pass on evidence to [the] murder inquiry"[25] which was being conducted by the Royal Military Police.[26]

Appointed Director of Strategy at the Army Headquarters in March 2015,[27] he became Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations) on 18 April 2016 being promoted to lieutenant general with effect from the same date.[28] On 11 June 2018 he was further promoted to the rank of general, succeeding General Sir Nick Carter as Chief of the General Staff,[29][30] being appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2019 New Year Honours.[31] Succeeded as Chief of the General Staff by General Sir Patrick Sanders in June 2022,[1] Carleton-Smith was promoted Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 2023 Birthday Honours.[32]

Carleton-Smith served as Regimental Lieutenant Colonel of the Irish Guards from 18 March 2012[33] for ten years,[34] and as Honorary Colonel of Oxford University Officers Training Corps between February 2017 and June 2022.[35][36]

Personal life

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In 1991, Carleton-Smith married Catherine Nalder. They have a son and a daughter.[4] He is a member of Pratt's, the Pilgrims Society and the Chelsea Arts Clubs.[4]

Carleton-Smith was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Herefordshire on 27 September 2023.[37]

Honours and awards

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Source:[38]

File:British Army SAS Parachute Badge with Wings.png
File:Order of the Bath UK ribbon.svg File:Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon.svg File:General Service Medal 1962 BAR.svg
File:Gulf Medal Ribbon with rosette.png File:UN UNPROFOR Medal ribbon.svg File:NATO Medal Yugoslavia ribbon bar.svg File:NATO medal for Kosovo ribbon.svg
File:OSM for Afghanistan w bar.svg File:Iraq Medal BAR.svg File:UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg File:QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg
File:UK Queen EII Platinum Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg File:Accumulated Campaign Service Medal 2011 BAR.svg File:Ribbon - Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military).png File:Us legion of merit officer rib.png

Ribbon Description Notes
File:Order of the Bath UK ribbon.svg Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (GCB) Appointed in 2023[32]
File:Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon.svg Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) Appointed into the Order in 2009[22]
File:General Service Medal 1962 BAR.svg General Service Medal (1962)
File:Gulf Medal Ribbon with rosette.png Gulf Medal
File:UN UNPROFOR Medal ribbon.svg UN Medal for Former Yugoslavia
File:NATO Medal Yugoslavia ribbon bar.svg NATO Former Republic of Yugoslavia Medal
File:NATO medal for Kosovo ribbon.svg NATO Kosovo Medal File:Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service.png Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service[39]
File:OSM for Afghanistan w bar.svg Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan
File:Iraq Medal BAR.svg Iraq Medal
File:UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
File:QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
File:UK Queen EII Platinum Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal
File:Accumulated Campaign Service Medal 2011 BAR.svg Accumulated Campaign Service Medal
File:Ribbon - Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military).png Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military) With 2 Bars
File:Us legion of merit officer rib.png Officer of the Legion of Merit

References

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  1. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ www.militarystrategymagazine.com
  3. ^ www.burkespeerage.com
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  5. ^ Archives department at Cheltenham College
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