Harvey Smyth

Northern Irish Royal Air Force officer

Harvey Smyth

Air Marshal Smyth in 2022

Allegiance| United Kingdom
Service/branch| Royal Air Force
Years of service| 1991–present
Rank| Air Marshal
Commands| Air and Space Commander
No. 1 Group
RAF Marham
No. 4 Squadron
Battles/wars| Kosovo War
Iraq War
War in Afghanistan
Awards| Companion of the Order of the Bath
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Flying Cross
Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States)
Meritorious Service Medal (United States)

Air Marshal Harvey Smyth, CB, OBE, DFC is a senior Northern Irish Royal Air Force officer, who has been the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations) since March 2024. Previously, he served as Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group (2018–2020) and Air and Space Commander (2022–2024).[1][2] Between February 2020 and August 2022, he took up the new post of Director Space, in the Ministry of Defence.

## Early life and education

[edit]

Smyth grew up in Northern Ireland during The Troubles.[3] He was educated at Lurgan College, a non-denominational grammar school in Lurgan, County Armagh.[4] He received a Sixth Form scholarship from the Royal Air Force,[5] and was a member of the Army Cadets while at school.[4]

## RAF career

[edit]

He joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1991, being commissioned as an acting pilot officer on 9 May.[1][6] His rank was made substantive on 9 May 1992 and advanced to flying officer twelve months later,[7][8] before he was posted to the Harrier Force in 1995.[1] He was advanced to flight lieutenant on 9 November 1996.[9] Smyth served with No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron as weapons instructor from 1999, and was promoted squadron leader on 1 July 2001.[10] As a Harrier pilot, he flew operational missions over Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia, Iraq and Afghanistan.[11]

He served in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.[12] Smyth was promoted to wing commander on 1 January 2006,[13] and commanded No. 4 Squadron from 1 September 2008 to 31 March 2010.[1][14]

Smyth was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours,[15] was subsequently advanced to group captain, and appointed the United Kingdom's National Director of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II procurement programme in Washington, D.C.[1] He was aide-de-camp to The Queen from 13 December 2013 to 30 July 2015.[16][17]

### Air officer

[edit]

Air Vice-Marshal Harvey Smyth making an address in June 2022

As an air commodore, Smyth was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 2nd (Northern Ireland) Battalion, Army Cadet Force from 1 June 2016,[18] and attended the Higher Command and Staff Course at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in 2017. Following a stint as the Combined Air and Space Operations Centre Director at the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Smyth was promoted air vice-marshal and appointed Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group in July 2018.[1] He was awarded the United States' Legion of Merit, and was granted permission to wear the award by the Queen on 5 April 2019.[19]

Smyth was appointed as the first Director Space in February 2020,[20][21] and was succeeded in command of No. 1 Group by Air Vice-Marshal Allan Marshall.[22] Reporting on Smyth's new post, Defense News wrote that "up to 25 civilians and military personnel involved in finance, policy and capabilities will support the new space directorate" in the Ministry of Defence's Main Building.[20] It also wrote that No. 23 Squadron RAF had been reformed, as a space squadron, "responsible for day-to-day space command-and-control" and the remote control and manoeuvring of satellites.[20] Smyth was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2020 Birthday Honours.[23] He was promoted to air marshal on 26 August 2022,[24] on his appointment as Deputy Commander Operations.[25] In December 2023, it was announced that he would be the next Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations); he succeeded Sir Roland Walker in the role in March 2024.[26][11]

## Private activities

[edit]

Smyth is patron of the Jon Egging Trust which commemorates Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging, who died in an accident in 2011 as part of the Red Arrows flying display team after succumbing to g-LOC.[27]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f "No 1 Group - Air Officer Commanding". raf.mod.uk. Royal Air Force. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
2. ^ "Senior Appointments". raf.mod.uk. Royal Air Force. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2018. and Wardle, Sally (2 August 2016). "RAF commander is new patron of Ulster Aviation Society". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
3. ^ "Air Vice Marshal Harvey Smyth". Jon Egging Trust. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
4. ^ a b Bain, Mark (22 February 2021). "Meet the Lurgan man who has become the UK's space defender". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
5. ^ "Deputy Commander Operations: Air Marshal Harvey Smyth CB OBE DFC RAF". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
6. ^ "No. 52609". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 July 1991. p. 11211.
7. ^ "No. 52945". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 1992. p. 9731.
8. ^ "No. 53324". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 June 1993. p. 9824.
9. ^ "No. 54602". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 December 1996. p. 5.
10. ^ "No. 56261". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 July 2001. p. 7816.
11. ^ a b "Air Marshal Harv Smyth CB OBE DFC MA RAF". GOV.UK. 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
12. ^ "No. 57100". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 October 2003. p. 5.
13. ^ "No. 57862". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 January 2006. p. 10.
14. ^ "Sqn Commanding Officers". fourfax. IV(AC) & IV(R) Sqn Association, RAF. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
15. ^ "No. 59647". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2010. p. 6.
16. ^ "No. 60718". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 December 2013. p. 24901.
17. ^ "No. 61313". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 August 2015. p. 14363.
18. ^ "No. 61669". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 August 2016. p. 17092.
19. ^ "Honours and Awards". London Gazette. London. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
20. ^ a b c Former fighter pilot picked to lead British military’s space command, Andrew Chuter, DefenseNews, 2020-01-15
21. ^ "RAF Senior Appointments". raf.mod.uk. Royal Air Force. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020. "Air Vice-Marshal H Smyth OBE DFC to be appointed Director Space in the Ministry of Defence in February 2020. This is a new post."
22. ^ "RAF Senior Appointments". raf.mod.uk. Royal Air Force. 3 February 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020. "Air Commodore A P Marshall OBE to be promoted Air Vice-Marshal and to be Air Officer Commanding No 1 Group in March 2020 in succession to Air Vice-Marshal H Smyth OBE DFC"
23. ^ "No. 63135". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 October 2020. p. B3.
24. ^ "No. 63848". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 October 2022. p. 19790.
25. ^ "Deputy Commander Operations". RAF. 28 August 2022.
26. ^ "Senior Appointments: 2023". raf.mod.uk. Royal Air Force. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023. "Air Marshal H Smyth CB OBE DFC to be Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff Military Strategy and Operations in March 2024, in succession to Lieutenant General Sir Charles Walker KCB DSO."
27. ^ "Air Vice Marshal Harvey Smyth". Jon Egging Trust. Retrieved 24 April 2020.

Military offices

Preceded by

Gerry Mayhew

|  Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group
2018–2020  | Succeeded by

Allan Marshall

Preceded by

Sir Gerry Mayhew

|  Deputy Commander Operations
Renamed Air and Space Commander in 2023
2022–2024
Preceded by

Sir Roland Walker

|  Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations)
2024–present  | Incumbent