Rupert Jones (British Army officer)

Rupert Jones
Born (1969-04-29) 29 April 1969
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service 1990 –
Rank Major General
Unit The Rifles
Commands held 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade (2012–14)
4th Battalion, The Rifles (2008–10)
Battles/wars Bosnian War
Iraq War
War in Afghanistan
The Troubles
Operation Inherent Resolve
Awards Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Relations H. Jones VC (father)

Major General Rupert Timothy Herbert Jones, CBE (born 29 April 1969) is a senior British Army officer, who is currently Deputy Commander-Strategy and Support for Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve.[1]

Early life

Jones was born in Germany, the youngest son of H. Jones, who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions as commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment during the Battle of Goose Green in the Falklands War of 1982. Rupert Jones attended St. Peter's Preparatory School in Seaford, Sussex and Sherborne School. He later read History at Reading University.[2]

Military career

Jones joined the British Army as an undergraduate cadet in 1987[3] and was commissioned into the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment,[2] his father's former regiment. He served his early career in Germany, Northern Ireland and Bosnia, and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2001 Birthday Honours.[4] Following company command, he served as Chief of Staff 12th Mechanized Brigade, deploying to Iraq in 2005. He served as commanding officer of 4th Battalion, The Rifles from 2008–10, during which the battalion deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Herrick. In February 2010, he launched the Care for Casualties appeal on behalf of the Rifles.[5][6]

During his career Jones has served in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) on numerous occasions, including as an SO3 in the Directorate of Military Operations with responsibility for Military Aid to the Civil Authorities and Counter Terrorism, as Military Assistant to the MOD's Director of Operations, as the Armed Forces representative advising Lord Levene's Steering Group during Defence Reform, and for a short period as the Chief of the General Staff's Colonel Army Strategy.[2]

Jones was promoted to colonel, with seniority, from July 2011.[7] He completed the Higher Command and Staff Course the following year and then took command of 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade, where he commanded British forces in Afghanistan from April to October 2013.[8] While in Afghanistan, he was promoted to brigadier.[9] In March 2014, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire, following service to the War in Afghanistan.[10][11][12] From 2014–16, he served as the Assistant Chief of Staff Operations and the Chief of Staff to the Standing Joint Commander (UK) in the Army HQ.[2] In April 2016 he was promoted to major general, becoming the youngest general in the British Army. He is now the deputy commander of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR).[2]

Personal life

He is married to Lucinda Jones and has three children. His interests include sailing and alpine skiing.

References

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