Gary Waterfall

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Gary Waterfall
VMFAT-501 Marine Corps Air Station F-35 Command Visit 141028-M-XK446-191 (cropped; Gary Waterfall).jpg
Waterfall in 2014
Born (1967-01-07) 7 January 1967 (age 55)
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Air Force
RankAir Vice Marshal
Commands heldNo. 1 Group (2014–16)
RAF Cottesmore (2009–11)
No. 41 Squadron RAF (2006–07)
Battles/warsOperation Ellamy
AwardsCommander of the Order of the British Empire

Air Vice Marshal Gary Martin Waterfall, CBE (born 7 January 1967) is a retired senior Royal Air Force officer and formerly Chief of Staff (Operations) in the Permanent Joint Headquarters. From July 2014 to April 2016, he was Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group.

RAF career[]

Waterfall was previously a Harrier pilot and a member of the Red Arrows display team.[1] He was Officer Commanding No. 41 Squadron RAF from 1 April 2006 to 8 June 2007.

On 15 December 2010, Waterfall led the final 16-ship flypast of the Harrier when they were retired from service. On promotion to air commodore in June 2011, he was deployed to NATO's Combined Air Operations Centre 5 to assume command of the UK air contribution to the liberation of Libya, and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Operational Honours List in March 2012.[2]

From July 2014 to April 2016, he was Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group. In that role, he is also head of the air defence of the United Kingdom.[3] On 28 April 2016, Waterfall handed over the command of No. 1 Group to Gerry Mayhew.[4] Waterfall was then appointed the Chief of Staff (Operations) in the Permanent Joint Headquarters with effect from 16 May 2016.[5] Waterfall retired from the RAF on 31 December 2019.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ "WATERFALL, Air Vice-Marshal Gary Martin". Who's Who 2015. A & C Black. October 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  2. ^ "Former RAF Cottesmore station commander awarded CBE". Rutland Times. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  3. ^ Dearden, Lizzie (1 November 2014). "RAF Typhoons scrambled to intercept Russian bomber 'approaching the UK'". The Independent. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  4. ^ "Senior Appointments". Raf.mod.uk. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  5. ^ "Royal Air Force". Raf.mod.uk. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  6. ^ "No. 62909". The London Gazette. 4 February 2019. p. 1959.
Military offices
Preceded by Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group
2014–2016 		Succeeded by
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