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Philip Jones (Royal Navy officer)

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Sir Philip Jones
Sir Philip Jones
Born (1960-02-14) 14 February 1960 (age 64)
Bebington, Wirral[1]
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchRoyal Navy
Years of service1980–2020
RankAdmiral
CommandsFirst Sea Lord
Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland
Amphibious Task Group
HMS Coventry
HMS Beaver
Battles / warsFalklands War
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States)

Admiral Sir Philip Andrew Jones, GCB, DL (born 14 February 1960) is a retired senior Royal Navy officer. After service in the South Atlantic in 1982 during the Falklands War, he commanded the frigates HMS Beaver and HMS Coventry. He went on to be Flag Officer, Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland, Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces and Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff before being appointed Fleet Commander and Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff. Jones served as First Sea Lord from April 2016 to June 2019.

Early life and education

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Jones was born on 14 February 1960.[2] He is the son of Edgar Jones and Lilian Jones (née Peters).[3] He was educated at Birkenhead School, Mansfield College, Oxford and the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.[4]

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HMS Fearless, on which Jones saw active service during the Falklands War

Jones joined the Royal Navy as a sub-lieutenant on 1 May 1980.[5] He saw active service in the South Atlantic in the amphibious assault ship HMS Fearless in 1982 during the Falklands War[6] and was promoted to lieutenant on 1 September 1982.[7] He served as a watch keeping and navigation officer in various frigates and in the Royal Yacht Britannia from 1983 until 1988 from when he served as principal warfare officer in various frigates and with the maritime battle staff.[3] Promoted to commander on 1 February 1994,[8] he was made commanding officer of the frigate HMS Beaver in 1994 and a member of the Directorate of Navy Plans in the Ministry of Defence in 1997.[6]

HMS Coventry, which Jones commanded

Promoted to captain on 31 December 1999,[9] Jones became commanding officer of the frigate HMS Coventry as well as Captain of the 1st Frigate Squadron that same month.[10] He went on to be Military Assistant to the Chief of Defence Logistics in 2002, Director of the Joint Maritime Operational Training Staff in 2003 and Assistant Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief Fleet in 2004.[4] Promoted to commodore on 13 December 2004,[11] he became Commander Amphibious Task Group in August 2006.[4] Appointed an Aide-de-camp (ADC) to the Queen on 1 August 2006,[12] he was promoted to rear admiral on 14 February 2008[13] and made Flag Officer, Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland that same month.[14] Following his appointment as Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces in September 2008, he was given command of the European Union's first naval task force assembled to protect international shipping in the waters off Somalia in December 2008.[15] He was made Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff in June 2009.[16]

Jones being appointed to Fleet Commander in 2012.

Jones was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2012 New Year Honours.[17][18] He was promoted to vice admiral[19] and appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief Fleet and Chief of Staff Navy Command Headquarters on 13 December 2011.[20] His post was re-designated Deputy Fleet Commander in April 2012 and he became Fleet Commander and Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff on 30 November 2012.[21] It was reported on 29 January 2016 that Jones would be promoted admiral and assume the position of First Sea Lord in April 2016.[22][23] Jones handed over his duties of Fleet Commander to Vice Admiral Ben Key on 10 February,[24] and took over as First Sea Lord on 8 April.[25]

Jones was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2014 Birthday Honours.[26] He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire in February 2019,[27] awarded the United States Legion of Merit in the degree of Commander in May,[28] and was succeeded by Admiral Tony Radakin as First Sea Lord on 19 June.[29]

Jones was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 2020 New Year Honours,[30] and retired from the navy on 3 January 2020.[31]

Family and personal

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In 1987 Jones married Elizabeth Collins; they have one son and two daughters.[3] His interests include sports, reading and hill walking.[3]

Jones has received Honorary Doctorates from Heriot-Watt University in 1993 [32] and from the University of Liverpool in 2017.[33]

References

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  1. ^ "£44m joy for Cammell Laird". Wirral Globe. 26 July 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  2. ^ "Birthdays". The Guardian. 14 February 2014. p. 41.
  3. ^ a b c d Who's Who 2010, A & C Black, 2010, ISBN 978-1-4081-1414-8
  4. ^ a b c "Rear-Admiral Philip Jones" (PDF). European Union. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  5. ^ "No. 49296". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 March 1983. p. 3971.
  6. ^ a b "Fleet Commander – Royal Navy". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  7. ^ "No. 49344". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 May 1983. p. 6318.
  8. ^ "No. 53562". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 January 1994. p. 1515.
  9. ^ "No. 55728". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 January 2000. p. 217.
  10. ^ "Captains Commanding Royal Navy Warships" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  11. ^ "No. 57502". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 December 2004. p. 15981.
  12. ^ "No. 58070". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 August 2006. p. 11139.
  13. ^ "No. 58608". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 February 2008. p. 2091.
  14. ^ "Senior Royal Navy appointments" (PDF). Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  15. ^ "Royal Navy admiral Phillip Jones heads EU Somali pirate task force". The Times. 9 December 2008. Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  16. ^ "Catching modern-day pirates". BBC News. 23 December 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  17. ^ "No. 60009". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2011. p. 2.
  18. ^ "New Year Honours 2012: full list of recipients". Telegraph.co.uk. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  19. ^ "No. 60006". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 2011. p. 24681.
  20. ^ "Up and out : Promotions, retirements, new posts for senior UK military personnel September 2011". Defense Viewpoints. 19 September 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  21. ^ "Ups and outs: October 2012". Defence Viewpoints. October 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  22. ^ Haynes, Deborah. "Marine general chosen as top brass No 2". The Times. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  23. ^ "The Secretary of State announces new Senior Appointments in the Armed Services". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  24. ^ "Royal Navy appoints new Fleet Commander". Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  25. ^ "Admiral Sir Philip Jones takes over as First Sea Lord". Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  26. ^ "No. 60895". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 2014. p. b3.
  27. ^ "Deputy Lieutenants". Hampshire Council. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  28. ^ "Trans-Atlantic Bonds Tighten as Naval Leaders Meet in Washington". royalnavy.mod.uk. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  29. ^ "Royal Navy appoints new First Sea Lord". royalnavy.mod.uk. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  30. ^ "No. 62866". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 2019. p. N2.
  31. ^ "No. 62915". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 February 2020. p. 2442.
  32. ^ "Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh: Honorary Graduates". Heriot-Watt University. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  33. ^ "New Chancellor to be installed at July graduation". University of Liverpool. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Philip Jones (Royal Navy officer).
Military offices
Preceded by Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland
February – September 2008 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces
2008–2009 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff
2009–2011 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
George Zambellas
 Deputy Commander-in-Chief Fleet
2011–2012 		Re-designated as Deputy Fleet Commander
New title Deputy Fleet Commander
2012 		Vacant
Preceded by
Sir George Zambellas
 Fleet Commander and Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff
2012–2016 		Succeeded by
First Sea Lord
2016–2019 		Succeeded by
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