| Sir John Reith | |
|---|---|
Sir John Reith |
|
| Born | 17 November 1948 Northumberland |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1969 – |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | 1st Bn The Parachute Regiment ACE Mobile Force Chief of Joint Operations |
| Battles/wars | Gulf War Kosovo War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
General Sir John George Reith KCB, CBE (born 17 November 1948, Northumberland) was the Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR) with Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) from October 2004 to October 2007.
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He attended Eliots Green Grammar School (merged with Vincent Secondary Modern School to become became Northolt High School in 1974) on Eastcote Lane in Northolt.
General Sir John Reith was commissioned into The Parachute Regiment in 1969. Early appointments included; Chief of Staff of 20 Armoured Brigade, Detmold, West Germany, 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment as a company commander, tours of Northern Ireland and command of 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
On 1 July 1997 he assumed the appointment of Commander Allied Command Europe Mobile Force (Land); during this tour he commanded AFOR, the NATO-led multinational deployment to Albania to help resolve the Kosovo refugee crisis. He also negotiated the undertaking by the KLA to disarm during the closing stages of the crisis. In January 2000 he assumed the post of Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Policy) in the Ministry of Defence central staff.[1]
In August 2001, he was appointed Chief of Joint Operations at the Permanent Joint Headquarters, Northwood. During this 3 year appointment, he was the UK joint commander for all world wide UK overseas operations including Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans and Sierra Leone. Reith gave evidence to the Iraq Inquiry on 15 January 2010 regarding this role.[2]
In October 2004, General Reith assumed the appointment of Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe. He retired from this post in October 2007.[3]
He was awarded the OBE in 1989, the CBE in 1991, the CB in 2000, and was knighted in 2003. He is a governor of Millfield School in Somerset.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Admiral Sir Ian Garnett |
Chief of Joint Operations 2001–2004 |
Succeeded by Air Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy |
| Preceded by Rainer Feist |
Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe 2004–2007 |
Succeeded by General Sir John McColl |