Robert Thomson (British Army officer)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Thomson
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1988–present
RankMajor General
Commands heldBritish Forces Cyprus
38th (Irish) Brigade
2nd Battalion The Rifles
Battles/warsIraq War
War in Afghanistan
AwardsCommander of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Service Order
Bronze Star Medal (United States)

Major General Robert John Thomson, CBE, DSO (born 1 January 1967) is a British Army officer. He currently serves as Commander of British Forces Cyprus.

Military career[]

He was educated at Brentwood School, Essex, Magdalene College, Cambridge and King's College London (MA Defence Studies).[1][2] Thomson was commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets on 2 September 1988.[3] He served as commanding officer of 2nd Battalion The Rifles and was deployed in that role on Operation Herrick 10 in Afghanistan from May 2009 to October 2009.[4] He went on to be commander of 38th (Irish) Brigade in December 2011[5] and Deputy Commander of Regional Command Southwest in April 2014, in which role he led the withdrawal of British troops from Camp Bastion in October 2014.[4] He became British defence attaché in Paris in September 2017,[6] and commander of British Forces Cyprus in September 2019.[7]

Thomson was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2005 New Year Honours,[8] and advanced to Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services in Afghanistan on 3 July 2015.[9]

References[]

  1. ^ "Alumni and Development" (PDF). Magdalene College Magazine 2010–11. p. 50. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Thomson, Maj. Gen. Robert John, (born 1 Jan. 1967), Administrator, Sovereign Base Areas and Commander, British Forces, Cyprus, since 2019." WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 1 Dec. 2021
  3. ^ "No. 51657". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 February 1989. p. 2502.
  4. ^ a b "Key moment in History of The Rifles. After 13 years committed to operations in Afghanistan, Operation Herrick comes to an end". Rifles Museum. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Up and out : Promotions, moves and retirements in Armed Forces". Defence Viewpoints. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Durham Light Infantry and Bedfordshire Regiment Soldiers who fought in world war 1 are laid to rest a century later". Ministry of Defence. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  7. ^ "No. 62784". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 October 2019. p. 17508.
  8. ^ "No. 57509". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2004. p. 6.
  9. ^ "No. 61284". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 July 2015. p. 12288.
Military offices
Preceded by Commander British Forces Cyprus
2019–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from ""