Jonathon Band

Sir Jonathon Band
Adm. Sir Jonathon Band, GCB, ADC, speaks with a Sailor from the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard at the Washington Navy Yard (2009)
Born	2 February 1950 (1950-02-02)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1967 - 2009
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	HMS Soberton HMS Phoebe HMS Norfolk HMS Illustrious Fleet
Battles/wars	Falklands War Bosnian War Iraq War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, GCB, DL, ADC (born 2 February 1950), from 2006 to 2009, was the First Sea Lord of the United Kingdom, the most senior serving officer in the Royal Navy. Before serving as First Sea Lord he was Commander-in-Chief Fleet. Since becoming First Sea Lord, Band had been a firm advocate of the creation of new ships to meet new threats and maintain the status of the Royal Navy as one of the world's leading naval forces.

Education

Born in 1950, Band spent much of his early childhood abroad. On his return to the UK, Band attended two independent schools: Brambletye School, a preparatory school, in Ashurst Wood, West Sussex, and from the age of thirteen, Haileybury and Imperial Service College. At school, Band was a Petty Officer in the Combined Cadet Force.

He entered the Royal Navy in 1967, before undertaking sea training in the Far East. He returned to the UK on an undergraduate programme and studied for three years at the University of Exeter, gaining a BA in 1972.

1970s

After graduating from Exeter, he served in junior officer appointments in HMS Lewiston and HMS Rothesay. In the mid 1970s, he undertook an exchange programme with the United States Navy and served onboard the guided missile cruiser, USS Belknap, which is now no longer in service. Following warfare training in 1976 and 1977 he served for two years as the Principal Warfare Officer and Operations Officer onboard the Frigate HMS Eskimo. This appointment included deployments to the West Indies and South Atlantic.

1980s

In 1980 he commanded the minesweeper HMS Soberton for nearly two years in the Fishery Protection Squadron around the British coast. Between 1981 and 1983 he also served as Flag Lieutenant to Commander-in-Chief Fleet, a period where he was involved in the Falklands War. Promoted to the rank of Commander in 1983, he assumed command of the frigate HMS Phoebe. The frigate operated in NATO waters, at the time of the RN’s first operational experience with surface ship towed passive sonar. In 1985 he attended the Joint Services Defence College and was soon appointed to the Defence Staff in the Ministry of Defence in the Directorate of Defence Policy. Promoted Captain in 1988, he left the Directorate of Policy and commanded HMS Norfolk. He was also responsible for helping establish the first Type 23 Frigate Squadron.

1990s

Admiral Band with Queen Elizabeth II

In 1991, he became the Assistant Director Navy Plans and Programmes in the Ministry of Defence, a period that saw the implementation of the “Options for Change” Review. In 1994 he was a member of the Defence Costs Study (Front Line First) Secretariat. His last Sea Command was that of HMS Illustrious, the aircraft carrier, between 1995 and 1997. The period included two operational deployments to the Adriatic in which he and the Illustrious supported the intervention of the U.S., the United Nations, and NATO operations in Bosnia.

In May 1997 he was elevated to Flag rank and promoted to Rear Admiral. He returned to the Ministry of Defence as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff. This appointment included the period of the Strategic Defence Review, in which he was heavily involved in the Royal Navy's contributions to the review. He left this appointment in December 1999 and assumed the position of Team Leader of the Defence Education and Training Study in January 2000. In 2000 he was also promoted to Vice Admiral.

Commander-in-Chief Fleet

After a tour as Deputy Commander-in-Chief Fleet from May 2001, he served as Commander-in-Chief Fleet, responsible for the preparation and operation of the ships, submarines and aircraft of the Royal Navy based at Northwood between August 2002 and November 2005. In that post he had a NATO command as Commander Allied Maritime Component Command, Northwood. In 2002, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the New Year's Honours List.

In 2003 he spoke out for the crew of the HMS Turbulent, for their efforts on achieving the longest deployment time of a submarine. HMS Turbulent was away for more than ten months and he stated "They are a huge credit. The submarine has done the equivalent of going twice around the world,". In March 2004 he spent several weeks touring naval facilities and ships in the Caribbean and countries such as Antigua.

In the Trafalgar 200 celebrations, celebrating the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, Band attended the ceremonies and the fleet review in the UK. In an interview, he stated:

"Trafalgar 200 is important internationally. It celebrates the fact that mariners are a great club of people who have a joint respect for the sea. There is no greater connecting medium in the world than the ocean, and it unites us"

— Interview with BBC News, 2006

Band also attended a Marines' parade, in honour of Lord Nelson, in October 2006.

First Sea Lord

Band aboard USS Ronald Reagan (April 2009)

In February 2006 Band took over the positions of First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff from Admiral Sir Alan West and in a press statement set out the Navy's priorities in the 21st century. Upon taking up the post of First Sea Lord he became the professional head of the Royal Navy. Band is a proponent for the Sustained Surface Combatant Capability and the creation of new ships to maintain the Royal Navy as one of the world's leading navies. These include the new Type 45 destroyer and the Royal Navy CVF programme, designed to replace the UK's current aircraft carriers. As head of the Royal Navy he led the Royal Navy's official involvement in the planning of the Iraq War.

In June 2006 he went on a fact finding and diplomatic mission to Pakistan where he met the head of the Pakistan Air Force, the head of the Pakistan Navy and the Army Chief of Staff. On the following day he met with the President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa. In November 2006 he attended a press conference on HMS Illustrious, which was docked on the River Thames at Greenwich. He announced that the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War would be commemorated across 8,000 miles and four time zones - in London, Pangbourne and the Falkland Islands - from 14 to 17 June 2007. The event was known as Operation Corporate.

In February 2007, at a journalists' briefing, he warned that the Royal Navy needed another £1 billion to meet future foreign policy demands and appealed to the Government for additional funding, a third of the Navy's annual operating budget, to spend on building more modern ships. In a later interview with the Daily Telegraph he said that an increase of more than 30 per cent in the Fleet's day-to-day budget was necessary to pay for better sailors' wages, the running of ships and improved accommodation. He threatened to resign as head of the Navy if the Government failed to agree to pay for two new aircraft carriers - the Royal Navy CVF programme, it had previously promised.

In May 2007 the government gave the £3.9bn go-ahead for the new aircraft carriers. Admiral Sir Jonathon said

"This is a significant decision to invest in the future, to be able to deliver air power around the world. I am entirely content that the country will get the navy it deserves; a powerful navy for the future; which is entirely right because we are a large player on the world scene."

— Interview with the Guardian, 2007

In 2007 he was awarded an honorary degree of Law from the University of Portsmouth.

He is also President of the Royal Navy Volunteer Band Association, the Royal Navy Rugby Union and the Royal Naval and Royal Albert Yacht Club, as well as a Younger Brother of Trinity House.

On 16 October 2008, the MOD announced that Mark Stanhope would succeed Band as First Sea Lord on 21 July 2009.

Styles & Honours

• Mr Jonathon Band (1950-through other ranks-1981)
• Lieutenant Commander Jonathon Band (1981–1983)
• Commander Jonathon Band (1983–1988)
• Captain Jonathon Band (1988–1997)
• Rear Admiral Jonathon Band (1997–2000)
• Vice Admiral Jonathon Band (2000–2002)
• Vice Admiral Sir Jonathon Band KCB (2002–2006)
• Admiral Sir Jonathon Band KCB (2006–2008)
• Admiral Sir Jonathon Band GCB (2008-)

He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.

Personal life

In 1979 he married Sarah Asbury, who is now known as Lady Band. They have two daughters and live in Southsea, Portsmouth.

Later professional life

On 1 February 2010 the global cruise company, Carnival Corporation & plc, asked its shareholders to agree to the appointment of Sir Jonathon to their board as a Non-executive Director, with effect from April 2010. In early 2009 he accepted and still holds the position of Patron for the International Scott Centenary Expedition 2012; ISCE2012's aim is to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Scott's race to the South Pole and the subsequent deaths of the Polar Party on the Ross Ice Shelf.

External links

Military offices
Preceded by Sir Fabian Malbon	Deputy Commander-in-Chief Fleet 2001–2002	Succeeded by Sir Mark Stanhope
Preceded by Sir Alan West	Commander-in-Chief Fleet 2002–2005	Succeeded by Sir James Burnell-Nugent
Preceded by Sir Alan West	First Sea Lord 2006–July 2009	Succeeded by Sir Mark Stanhope