THE first non-pilot to lead the RAF has been picked to command all three armed forces.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton – a career engineer and “defence bureaucrat” – will take over as Chief of the Defence Staff this autumn.
The married dad-of-two was picked by Sir Kier Starmer over Army Chief General Sir Roly Walker, a former SAS commanderAFP
@UK MoD Crown Copright 2024Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton will take over as Chief of the Defence Staff this autumn[/caption]
Arthur Edwards / The SunThe career engineer and “defence bureaucrat” with Captain Paddy Hemingway.103, at Casement Air base Baldonnel near Dublin[/caption]
The married dad-of-two was picked by Sir Kier Starmer over Army Chief General Sir Roly Walker, a former SAS commander.
Knighton’s only combat tour, according to his official bio, was “a short stint as Senior Engineer Officer in Italy during the Kosovo campaign”.
But he launched the RAF’s Tempest plan to get a sixth generation fighter jet which is the government’s flagship defence project.
Pals insisted Knighton – who earned a 1st Class engineering degree from Cambridge University – was the perfect candidate for implementing Labour’s defence reforms.
They said: “Rich is smart, popular and really good at getting sh*t done and he has bucket loads of integrity.”
They added: “For the hard yards of implementing a defence review, there’s no one better to role up his sleeves hand get on with it.
“Naysayers would say his background is as engineer, he is a proper defence bureaucrat.
“There is no doubt Roly had a more operational experience but Rich will have plenty of people around him who can advise on that.”
They were both on long list of four which included the first ever woman, General Dame Sharon Nesmith, and spychief General Jim Hockenhull.
ACM Knighton, 56, will replace Admiral Sir Tony Radakin as the professional head of the forces and the PM’s top military advisor.
He will also take direct command of the Army, Navy and Air Force under a newly formed Military Strategic Headquarters.
He joined the RAF as university cadet in 1988 and describes himself as “a keen skier and a below-average sportsman who would like to do more sailing”.
He maintains a “private pilots license” and is president of the RAF Powerlifting, Winter Sports and Hockey clubs.
Originally from Derbyshire, he lives with his lawyer wife Caitlin in Cambridge.
Speaking before the appointment Knighton said engineering had shaped his style of leadership.
His told a local newspaper: “As an engineer in the air force, you are never, at any point, the leading expert in a thing. You rely on the advice of your technicians and your experts, and then you pull together that information, and you make a decision.”
He described himelf as an optimist ands said: “Nobody wants to work for a miserable bastard.”
He added: “I’m very much a glass-half-full kind of character. I get a great deal of energy from working with other people. I’ve learned in my career that optimism and energy are infectious.”
An MoD spokesperson said: “This is speculation. The appointment process is ongoing and any announcement will be made in the usual way.”
This comes as the UK will be forced to ramp up defence spending after Keir refused to commit to funding despite his “battle ready” promise.
Labour’s pledge to “lead in Nato” would be blown to smithereens if Britain is left behind, a top defence insider said.
Top Brass have been baffled by Kier Starmer’s refusal to say when he will hit Labour’s target of spending 3 per cent.
The PM vowed to get Britain “battle ready” yesterday with new doomsday nukes and robotic fighter jets – but refused to say how he will fund it.
Donald Trump has demanded allies spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence – and he has threatened to abandon nations that fail to pay their way.
Nato’s chief Mark Rutte has successfully lobbied allies to try and hit Trump’s target by spending 3.5 per cent on core defence – including troops, tanks and ships – and 1.5 per cent on security and infrastructure, including spy agencies.
France‘s President Macron has backed Rutte’s demands.
And Germany is already on course to hit the target within the next few years.
A defence source said Britain’s ministers have “been in denial” about the looming Nato summit and pledges key allies will make.
Starmer is expected to discuss the Nato target in a crunch meeting this week.
A defence source said: “Do we want to be lumped with Spain as the only allies that are complaining?”
At the launch a landmark Strategic Defence Review Defence Secretary John Healey said: “Our defence policy is Nato First.”
“We will end the hollowing out of our Armed Forces and lead
in a stronger, more lethal Nato.”
Labour has pledged to increase defence spending from 2.3 per cent of GDP to 2.5 per cent by 2027.
Starmer said: “We have set the ambition to reach 3 per cent in the next Parliament, subject to economic and fiscal conditions.”
But pressed on what that meant, he said: “I’m not going to indulge in the fantasy politics of simply plucking dates from the air.”
Defence Secretary Healey said the 3 per cent target was a “certainty”.
But he backtracked 24-hours later, insisting it was merely an “ambition”.
Britain’s three biggest weapons programmes – including the Trident 2 nuclear deterrent, the new sixth generation fighter jets and new hunter killer submarines – will cost at least 3 per cent of GDP, a former defence minister told The Sun.
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