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Gwyn Jenkins

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Gwyn Jenkins
Jenkins in 2022
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchRoyal Marines
RankGeneral
CommandsCommandant General Royal Marines
Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff
3 Commando Brigade
Special Boat Service
Battles / warsThe Troubles
International Force East Timor
War in Afghanistan
Iraq War
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Officer of the Order of the British Empire

General Gwyn Jenkins, CB, OBE is a senior Royal Marines officer, who served as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff from August 2022 to June 2024. He was concurrently appointed Commandant General Royal Marines in November 2022.

Early life and education

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Jenkins was educated at Malmesbury School.[1] He graduated from the Military College Shrivenham in 2004, where he completed a master's degree in Defence Studies.[2]

Military career

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Jenkins was commissioned into the Royal Marines in 1990. He spent time as a junior officer in the Commando Logistics Regiment and on operations in Northern Ireland with 42 Commando.[2] He became commanding officer of the Special Boat Service (SBS) in 2009.[3]

In 2011 Jenkins received a written report stating that members of the Army’s Special Air Service (soldiers not under his command) operating in Afghanistan had conducted extrajudicial killings. He referred the matter to his superior officer, the Director Special Forces, recommending a thorough investigation: in response SAS tactics were subject to a rare review. The BBC has subsequently claimed that Jenkins was in fact legally obliged to pass his report to the Royal Military Police as it was an allegation that British forces had committed war crimes. However, he did not, but placed it in a classified dossier in April 2011.[4] He was promoted from acting to full colonel on 1 July 2011.[5] In October of that year Jenkins deployed to Afghanistan as the commander of all British Special Forces in the country.[4] He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Afghanistan during the period 1 October 2011 to 31 March 2012".[6]

In 2012, he was appointed military assistant to the prime minister of the United Kingdom.[7] On 1 July 2015, he was promoted from acting to full brigadier.[8] He went on to become Deputy National Security Adviser for Conflict, Stability and Defence in 2016,[9] commander 3 Commando Brigade in 2017,[10] and Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Policy) in 2019.[2] Jenkins was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2021 New Year Honours.[11]

As a general

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General Jenkins inspecting his first parade as Commandant General Royal Marines in November 2022

Jenkins was promoted to general on 30 August 2022, skipping the rank of lieutenant general,[12] and took up the post of Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff.[13] He is the first four-star Royal Marine general since 2016, after Sir Gordon Messenger, and the second since 1977. At the same time he was made an Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the Queen.[12] Jenkins also became Commandant General Royal Marines on 25 November, succeeding Lieutenant General Robert Magowan. Jenkins became the first full general to serve as Commandant General since the 1970s.[14][15]

On 23 April 2024 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that Jenkins would become the United Kingdom's next National Security Advisor.[16] However, on 26 August 2024 The Guardian reported that the appointment had been cancelled by the new prime minister, Keir Starmer.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Students inspired by visit of Major General Jenkins". Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "General Gwyn Jenkins CB OBE". HM Government. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  3. ^ Romaniello, Federica (27 July 2022). "New Vice Chief of the Defence Staff appointed". Forces Network. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b O'Grady, Hannah; Gunter, Joel (16 November 2023). "Top general locked away evidence of SAS executions". BBC (Panorama).
  5. ^ "No. 59860". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 July 2011. p. 14180.
  6. ^ "No. 60283". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 September 2012. p. 18623.
  7. ^ "Letter to Mr Don Kentish" (PDF). 550 Squadron Association. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  8. ^ "No. 61339". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 September 2015. p. 16198.
  9. ^ "Cabinet Office staff and salary data: senior posts as at 31 March 2016 – GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Senior Royal Navy Appointments (since 1865)" (PDF). Updated as required.
  11. ^ "No. 63218". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2020. p. N2.
  12. ^ a b "No. 63818". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 September 2022. p. 17754.
  13. ^ "Major General Gwyn Jenkins appointed new Vice Chief of the Defence Staff". Ministry of Defence. 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Royal Marines appoint new Commandant General". forces.net. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  15. ^ "No. 63889". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 November 2022. p. 22839.
  16. ^ Ravikumar, Sachin (23 April 2024). "Britain names Gwyn Jenkins as national security adviser". Reuters.
  17. ^ Stacey, Kiran (26 August 2024). "Starmer cancels appointment of Gwyn Jenkins as national security adviser". The Guardian.
Military offices
Preceded by Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Policy)
2019–2020 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff
2022–2024 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commandant General Royal Marines
2022–present 		Incumbent
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