| David Walker | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1978 - |
| Rank | Air Marshal |
| Commands held | 1(F) Squadron RAF Cottesmore 1 Group |
| Battles/wars | Op VERITAS Op TELIC |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Air Force Cross |
Air Marshal David Walker CB CBE AFC is a Royal Air Force officer. He is currently Deputy Commander, Allied Joint Force Command at Brunssum, in the Netherlands, having previously served for over three years as Deputy Commander, Allied Air Component Command at Ramstein in Germany. Prior to that appointment he was Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group in the UK.
He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2011 New Year Honours.
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Walker joined the Royal Air Force in 1978 and then completed tours in Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom, flying the Harrier and F/A-18 Hornet. After Staff College he commanded 1(F) Squadron, flying operational missions over Iraq and Bosnia, before becoming the Military Assistant to the UK Minister for Armed Forces in the Ministry of Defence, serving the Hon Nicholas Soames MP and Dr John Reid MP.
In January 1999, he attended the UK’s Higher Command and Staff Course before taking command of RAF Cottesmore and the UK Harrier Force. Posted to HQ No 3 Group in August 2001 he spent most of that tour deployed overseas supporting operations in Afghanistan as part of the International Coalition for Op ENDURING FREEDOM. In 2002 he took up the post of Assistant Chief of Staff J3 (Operations) responsible to the UK Commander Joint Operations for the oversight and management of Operation TELIC, the UK contribution to Op IRAQI FREEDOM, as well as oversight of all other UK expeditionary operations.
Appointed Assistant Chief of the Air Staff in October 2003, Walker was responsible for the detailed handling of RAF policy, resource allocation, international relations and change agenda. He was closely involved in the Eurofighter Typhoon programme and bi-lateral relations with NATO and International allies. In April 2005 Walker gained command of No 1 Group with responsibility for the RAF’s fast jet forces as well as their training and operational performance. In April 2006 he assumed full command responsibility for the RAF Support Helicopter Force contribution to the UK Joint Helicopter Command.
In June 2007 he was appointed Deputy Commander, Allied Air Component Command at Ramstein. In July 2010 he was appointed as Director of the Joint US/NATO Ballistic Missile Defence Task Force.[1] In March 2011 he became Deputy Commander Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum.[1]
Educated at Bristol University (BSc in Geography) and King's College London (MA in Defence Studies), Walker is undertaking a Portal Fellowship for a PhD with King's College London at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Unknown |
Station Commander RAF Cottesmore 1999–2001 |
Succeeded by M J Harwood |
| Preceded by P O Sturley |
Assistant Chief of the Air Staff 2003–2005 |
Succeeded by Chris Moran |
| Preceded by Chris Moran |
Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group 2005–2007 |
Succeeded by C N Harper |
| Preceded by Horst Martin |
Deputy Commander, Allied Air Component Command, Ramstein 2007–2010 |
Succeeded by LTG Friedrich Wilhelm Ploeger |
| Preceded by New Post |
Director Joint US/NATO BMD Task Force, Allied Air Component HQ Ramstein 2010 |
Succeeded by ? |
| Preceded by C N Harper |
Deputy Commander, Allied Joint Force Command, Brunssum 2011–present |
Incumbent |