Joe French

Air Chief Marshal Sir Joseph Charles French, KCB, CBE, FRAeS, ADC (born 15 July 1949), often known as Sir Joe French, is a retired senior Royal Air Force officer who was the last Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Strike Command (2006–07).

For other people named Joseph French, see Joseph French (disambiguation).

Sir Joe French
Born (1949-07-15) 15 July 1949
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Air Force
Years of service1967–2007
RankAir chief marshal
Commands heldRAF Strike Command (2006–07)
Personnel and Training Command (2003–06)
Chief of Defence Intelligence (2000–03)
RAF Odiham (1989–91)
No. 7 Squadron
Battles/warsThe Troubles
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Mentioned in Despatches

RAF career

French joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1967 and qualified as a helicopter pilot, flying Wessex, Puma and Chinook.[1] Postings included Sharjah, Hong Kong, Germany and an operational tour of Northern Ireland in 1972, for which he was Mentioned in Despatches.[2] He was commanding officer of No. 7 Squadron (Chinook) at RAF Odiham, where he was later station commander (1989–91).[1]

French attended the RAF Staff College and the Royal College of Defence Studies.[1] Staff postings included aide-de-camp to the Chief of the Defence Staff, and Personal Staff Officer to the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Strike Command. He served on the staff of the Central Trials and Tactics Organisation, and was Head of the RAF Presentation Team.[1]

French served as Director of Air Force Staff Duties,[1] and as Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Policy),[1] before being appointed Director-General of Intelligence Collection.[1] He was Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI) from 2000,[1] and it was while he was CDI that the controversial September Dossier was drafted which attempted to assess the state of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.[1] He was appointed Commander-in-Chief Personnel and Training Command and Air Member for Personnelin 2003[1] and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Strike Command in 2006.[3]

French was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1991 New Year Honours,[4] and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 2003 New Year Honours.[5]

Retirement

Upon his retirement in 2007, French became President of the RAF Servicing Commando and Tactical Supply Wing Association.[6]

References
  1. BBC News – Profile: Air Chief Marshal Sir Joe French
  2. "No. 45965". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 May 1973. p. 5464.
  3. "Sir Joe French unveils Visitor Information Panels at Kanchanaburi war grave cemetery". Ministry of Defence. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  4. "No. 52382". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 1990. p. 6.
  5. "No. 56797". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2002. p. 2.
  6. The President's Award The Royal Air Force Servicing Commando and Tactical Supply Wing Association Newsletter, Autumn 2009
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