General Sir Charles Roland Vincent Walker, KCB, DSO, ADC Gen (born 14 May 1970) is a senior British Army officer, who served as Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations) from April 2021 until June 2024.[1] He became Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, on 15 June 2024.[2]
Sir Roland Walker | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lieutenant General Walker in 2023 | |
| Birth name | Charles Roland Vincent Walker |
| Nickname(s) | Roly |
| Born | 14 May 1970 Nairobi, Kenya |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1990–present |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | Grenadier Guards |
| Commands | Chief of the General Staff (2024–) Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (2021–24) Director Special Forces (2018–21) 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade (2013–15) 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards (2008–10) |
| Battles / wars | The Troubles Iraq War War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order |
| Alma mater | Royal Agricultural College |
| Spouse(s) |
Kate White-Thomson (m. 1998) |
Early life and education
editWalker was born on 14 May 1970 in Nairobi, Kenya, to Patrick Walker and Daphne Walker (née Armour).[3] Following his father's death, his mother married Frederick Conyngham, 7th Marquess Conyngham in 1980.[3] He was educated at the Dragon School, a private preparatory school in Oxford, and then at Harrow School, an all-boys independent boarding school in London. Sponsored by the British Army as a university cadetship officer,[4] he studied at the Royal Agricultural College, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree.[5] He later studied at Cranfield University, graduating with a Master of Arts degree.[3]
Military career
editWalker was commissioned into the Guards Division of the British Army as a second lieutenant (on probation) on 9 September 1990 as part of his undergraduate cadetship.[4] In September 1993, his commission was confirmed and he was promoted to lieutenant back-dated to 11 August 1992.[6] He began active service in the Irish Guards in 1993, and saw operational tours in Northern Ireland and Iraq.[5] He was promoted to captain on 11 August 1995.[7] In 1997, he joined 22 Special Air Service Regiment.[8] He was promoted to major on 30 September 2000.[9] He attended the Advanced Command and Staff Course from 2001 to 2003.[3] Between 2003 and 2007, he undertook multiple operational tours in Iraq.[3]
Following his time with Special Forces, he became commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards from 2008 to 2010.[5][10] He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 30 June 2008.[11] With the Grenadiers, he served a tour in Afghanistan, during which the Ridgeback PPV in which he was travelling was blown up by an improvised explosive device (IED): all six soldiers inside escaped uninjured, but the vehicle was thrown into the air, had its wheels blown off and its armour shredded.[10] Walker was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in September 2010 in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Afghanistan.[12]
Walker commanded the 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade from 2013 to 2015,[5] and was promoted to brigadier on 30 June 2014.[13] He has since held staff appointments at Army Headquarters and the Ministry of Defence.[5] He was promoted to major general on 8 March 2018,[14] and appointed Director Special Forces.[15] He was promoted to lieutenant general and became Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations) on 16 April 2021.[16] He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2023 New Year Honours, thereby granted the title sir.[17]
Walker served as Colonel Commandant of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps from 1 March 2017 to 1 June 2022,[18] and Regimental Lieutenant Colonel of the Grenadier Guards from 18 June 2017 to 18 June 2022; both ceremonial appointments.[19][20] He was Honorary Colonel of the Cambridge University Officers' Training Corps until June 2024.[21] He was appointed Colonel Commandant of the Honourable Artillery Company on 30 May 2024.[22]
Chief of the General Staff
editIt was announded in December 2023 that Walker had been selected to be the next Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, and would take up the post in June 2024.[23][24] He took up the post on 16 June 2024. On the same day, he was promoted to general and appointed Aide-de-camp general to the King.[25]
On 23 July 2024, Walker warned of the threat posed by Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.[26] He said the UK must be prepared for a possible war with Russia by 2027.[27]
Walker said there were "no winners" in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, adding that "it is an utter devastation for both sides and lost generations."[28] He said that with the current way of fighting, it would take Russia five years to control the four regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia that Russia claims as its own, and it would cost Russia more than 1.5 million casualties.[29] He said: "It doesn’t matter how it ends. I think Russia will emerge from it probably weaker objectively – or absolutely – but still very, very dangerous and wanting some form of retribution for what we have done to help Ukraine."[30]
Personal life
editIn 1998, Walker married Kate White-Thomson. They have three daughters and live in Herefordshire.[5]
References
edit- ^ Notice, gov.uk. Accessed 3 July 2023.
- ^ "General Sir Roly Walker KCB DSO". GOV.UK. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Walker, Lt Gen. Sir (Charles) Roland (Vincent), (born 14 May 1970), Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations), since 2021". Who's Who 2024. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ a b "No. 52323". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 November 1990. p. 17191.
- ^ a b c d e f "Walker, Maj. Gen. (Charles) Roland (Vincent), (born 14 May 1970), Operations Director, Ministry of Defence, since 2018". Who's Who 2021. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ "No. 53426". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 September 1993. p. 14960.
- ^ "No. 54233". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 December 1995. p. 16487.
- ^ "Lieutenant General Roly Walker DSO". GOV.UK.
- ^ "No. 55986". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 October 2000. p. 11013.
- ^ a b Rayment, Sean (20 June 2010). "Portraits of bravery: commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Roly Walker". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ "No. 58752". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 July 2008. p. 9837.
- ^ "No. 59554". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 September 2010. p. 18535.
- ^ "No. 60918". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 July 2014. p. 2.
- ^ "No. 62226". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 March 2018. p. 4541.
- ^ "Lieutenant General Roly Walker DSO". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ "No. 63325". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 April 2021. p. 7239.
- ^ "No. 63918". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2022. p. N2.
- ^ "No. 61865". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 March 2017. p. 4890.
- ^ "Regimental Headquarters". Grenadier Guards. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ "No. 61971". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 June 2017. p. 11876.
- ^ "No. 64412". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 June 2024. p. 10721.
- ^ "No. 64418". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2024. p. 11222.
- ^ Harnden, Toby (28 August 2023). "'As a soldier, he's beyond compare': The ex-SAS war hero intent on change for the British Army". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- ^ "General Sir Roly Walker appointed new Chief of the General Staff". GOV.UK. Ministry of Defence. 12 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ "No. 64435". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 June 2024. p. 11742.
- ^ "UK must be ready for war in three years, head of British Army warns". Sky News. 23 July 2024.
- ^ "Army 'has three years' to prepare for possible war with Russia". inews.co.uk. 23 July 2024.
- ^ "Russia 'would have to lose over 1.5 million soldiers' to achieve Ukraine war goals, new head of British army claims". LBC. 24 July 2024.
- ^ "Russia would lose up to 1.8 million troops and take 5 years to capture the 4 Ukrainian regions it wants: UK army chief". Business Insider. 25 July 2024.
- ^ "UK must be ready to fight war in three years, says Army head". BBC News. 23 July 2024.