Introduction
Lieutenant General Mark Alexander Popham Carleton-Smith,(born 9 February 1964) is a senior British Army officer who has previously served as Director Special Forces. He will become Chief of the General Staff in June 2018, succeeding General Sir Nick Carter.
Military career
Carleton-Smith was educated at Eton College and commissioned into the Irish Guards on 3 September 1982. He then studied for a sponsored degree in politics and modern history at Durham University, joining Hatfield College, and graduating in 1985. He was promoted to lieutenant on 6 September 1985, with seniority from 9 April 1985, to captain on 9 April 1989 and to major on 30 September 1995. After operational service in Northern Ireland, he was deployed to the Gulf War in spring 1991 and then saw active service as an SAS squadron commander in Bosnia later in the 1990s.
He became Chief of Staff of 19 Mechanized Brigade in 1999 and served as Chief of Staff HQ Multi-National Brigade Centre during the Kosovo War later that year. In recognition of his service in Kosovo, he was appointed an Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2000 New Year Honours and was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service on 3 November 2000.
Promoted to lieutenant colonel on 30 June 2001, he became Military Assistant to the Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces at that time. He became Commanding Officer of 22 Special Air Service Regiment in 2002 and in that role saw service during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and also during operations in Afghanistan. He was advanced to Officer of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his services during the 2003 invasion of Iraq on 23 April 2004. Promoted to colonel on 30 June 2005, he became Deputy Director Policy Planning at the Ministry of Defence at that time.
Promoted to brigadier on 31 December 2006 with seniority from 30 June 2006, he became Commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade that year and was deployed to Afghanistan as Commander of Task Force Helmand and Commander of British Forces there in April 2008. In August 2008 he led Operation Eagle's Summit which involved a daring foray into Taliban territory. He was advanced to Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his services in Afghanistan on 6 March 2009.
He became Director of Army Plans and Resources at the Ministry of Defence in January 2009 and, following promotion to major-general on 20 February 2012, he became Director Special Forces in February 2012 and Director of Strategy at the Army Headquarters in March 2015. He became Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations) with effect from 18 April 2016 and was promoted to lieutenant-general with effect from that same date. On 9 May 2018 it was announced that he would be promoted to general and would succeed General Sir Nick Carter as Chief of the General Staff.
He also became Regimental Lieutenant Colonel of the Irish Guards on 18 March 2012 and Honorary Colonel of Oxford University Officers Training Corps on 18 February 2017.