47 Facts About Jock Stirrup

Jock Stirrup is a Crossbench member of the House of Lords.

In 2002, Jock Stirrup was appointed the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff responsible for equipment and capability and was heavily involved in procuring equipment for the invasion of Iraq.

Jock Stirrup became Chief of the Defence Staff in 2006: during his time in office the British Armed Forces faced significant commitments both to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Jock Stirrup retired as Chief of the Defence Staff on 29 October 2010, taking a seat in the House of Lords in 2011.

Jock Stirrup was educated at Merchant Taylors' School in Northwood, Hertfordshire.

Jock Stirrup married Mary Alexandra Elliott in 1976 and they have one son.

Jock Stirrup includes golf, music, theatre and history among his interests.

Jock Stirrup is a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and a member of the Society of Knights of the Round Table.

Jock Stirrup started his military career at the RAF College Cranwell in Lincolnshire on 1 April 1968 and it was from Cranwell that he received his commission on 31 July 1970.

Jock Stirrup was promoted to flying officer on 31 July 1971 with seniority backdated to 31 January, and to flight lieutenant from 31 July 1973.

From 1973 to 1975, Jock Stirrup was on loan service with the Sultan of Oman's Air Force.

In Oman, Jock Stirrup flew BAC Strikemasters during the Dhofar War in the close air support and interdiction roles, giving him valuable battle experience of the use of air power in counter-insurgency operations.

Jock Stirrup went on to serve in an exchange tour in the United States where he flew the all-weather tactical reconnaissance RF-4C Phantom.

Jock Stirrup was unable to ascertain whether his student was conscious and forward vision through the canopy was obscured: one of his engines caught fire, and although ejecting from the aircraft would have been justified, not knowing whether the student was conscious or not, Jock Stirrup managed to land at RAF Leuchars.

Jock Stirrup was later awarded the Air Force Cross in recognition of his handling of the incident.

Jock Stirrup was promoted to wing commander on 1 July 1984.

In 1985 Jock Stirrup received a command appointment, as the Officer Commanding No 2 Squadron which at that time was operating the Jaguar from RAF Laarbruch in West Germany: along with other NATO air units, his squadron's role was low-level tactical reconnaissance in the face of the Soviet Cold War threat.

Jock Stirrup gained first hand experience of the higher-level workings of the RAF when, in 1987, he was appointed Personal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Air Staff.

In 1993 Jock Stirrup attended the Royal College of Defence Studies.

Jock Stirrup was promoted to air commodore on 1 January 1994, and appointed Director of Air Force Plans and Programmes that year.

From September 2001 to January 2002, Jock Stirrup was UK National Contingent Commander for Operation Veritas in Afghanistan, his first direct experience of front-line operations overseas since 1987.

At MacDill Air Force Base, Jock Stirrup headed the 60 strong British team who were contributing to the US-led operational planning.

The planning for the invasion of Iraq required new equipment and Jock Stirrup became increasingly involved in planning for urgent operational requirements.

Jock Stirrup briefed ministers on this point but was prevented from placing the orders according to his desired timescale.

Jock Stirrup was promoted to air chief marshal and appointed Chief of the Air Staff on 1 August 2003.

In July 2004 Jock Stirrup set out his strategic direction for the RAF which was based upon working to achieve an increasingly modern and multi-role aircraft fleet, reducing the number of RAF stations by creating fewer but larger and better-equipped bases and reducing the number of personnel while maintaining or improving their training.

In May 2006, shortly after becoming CDS, Jock Stirrup visited Iraq to assess the situation first hand.

The British responsibility was in the south of Iraq and on his return Jock Stirrup reported to the Defence Secretary that Basra was the key to success in southern Iraq.

Jock Stirrup identified two obstacles to success, the first being the militias and the second being the need for an acceptable level of Iraqi governance.

In July 2006, Jock Stirrup overturned the previous military advice to the Defence Secretary by stating that force levels in South East Iraq would need to be maintained.

In September 2006, the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, blocked the British plan to act against the militias which Jock Stirrup believed was because of Maliki's dependence on Sadrist support at that stage.

In July 2007 Maliki replaced his Basra security co-ordinator and during one of his visits to Iraq, Jock Stirrup met the new Basra security coordinator, General Mohan.

Mohan wanted the British forces to withdraw from Basra and Jock Stirrup stressed that once British forces had departed, Mohan's Iraqi forces would have to deal with security.

Jock Stirrup was concerned that a redeployment would look as though the British had been "bombed out of Basra" but judged that this was preferable to the significant damage to British military reputation were security in Basra to completely break down.

Jock Stirrup strongly backed Mohan's plan but noted that Mohan would need to be pressed hard to deliver and supported with Corps forces.

In hindsight, Jock Stirrup took the view that the British forces would have been usefully employed in mentoring the Iraq Army to greater extent earlier in the campaign.

While, highlighting the inadequate force levels provided by NATO and the competing demands on Coalition political and military resources that Iraq had posed until 2008, Jock Stirrup believed that by 2009 NATO forces were successfully taking the fight to the insurgents, driving them out of towns and villages and thereby allowing governance to improve which would lead to the defeat of the insurgency.

In particular Jock Stirrup called for a spirit of resolution and stated that the mission was achievable, noting that the British Armed Forces had finally now got a properly resourced plan to achieve the strategic aim.

Richards took over on 29 October 2010 and Jock Stirrup was created a life peer as Baron Jock Stirrup, of Marylebone in the City of Westminster.

Jock Stirrup was introduced into the House of Lords on 1 February 2011, where he sits as a crossbencher.

Jock Stirrup officially retired from the RAF on 4 April 2011.

Jock Stirrup was appointed as an honorary Marshal of the Royal Air Force in the Queen's 2014 Birthday Honours.

In June 2015 Jock Stirrup joined the House of Lords' EU External Affairs Sub-Committee.

From October 2015 Jock Stirrup has been the president of the Pilgrims Society.

In July 2016, Jock Stirrup gave an interview to Sky News in which he accused Russia of running a "gangster regime" and a "gangster foreign policy" in regard to their ongoing Ukrainian intervention.

In particular Jock Stirrup urged that NATO countries spend more on defence.

Jock Stirrup carried the Sword of State in the procession for the 2019 State opening of Parliament.