Andy Salmon

Early life

Salmon was educated at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford before attending Godalming College to do his A-levels. He graduated from the University of Warwick with a Bachelor of Arts in Modern History in 1980, and later earned a Master of Arts in Defence Studies from King's College London in 1993.

Military career

Salmon joined the Royal Marines in 1977. In his early service years, he was involved in various operations including tours in Belfast (1978), the Falklands (1982), Crossmaglen (1983), South Armagh (1990), Northern Iraq (1991) and Angola (1992). During this time he served with 40 Commando, 42 Commando and 45 Commando.

Salmon was Policy Advisor to the Chiefs of Staff during the Kosovo War between 1998 and 1999. He then served as Commanding Officer of 42 Commando, attached to the Amphibious Ready Group (since renamed the "Amphibious Task Group"), during two interventions in Sierra Leone in 2000. In 2001 he became Director, Balkans in the Ministry of Defence and handled issues arising from the Insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia in 2001 and relations with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia before being posted to Iraq as Director Plans, Coalition Military Assistance and Training Team, Baghdad in 2003. He became Commandant of the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines in 2007 before being appointed Commander UK Amphibious Forces in 2008. He was deployed as General Officer Commanding Multi-National Division (South East), Iraq in August 2008.

On 26 June 2009 Salmon assumed the appointment of Commandant General Royal Marines, the professional head of the Royal Marines, during a ceremony held at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines in Lympstone, Devon. He became Director of Force Readiness and Generation in NATO in 2010 and built their new Comprehensive Crisis and Operations Management Centre.

On 9 April 2013, he retired from the military.

Awards and decorations

In April 2001, the then Lieutenant Colonel and acting Colonel Salmon, received the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services during operations in Sierra Leone from 6 May to 30 September 2000". In December 2003, the then Colonel Salmon was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). In December 2006, the then Brigadier Salmon, was awarded the Bronze Star Medal by the United States "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services during coalition operations in Iraq". In September 2009, Major General Salmon was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) "in recognition of gallant and distinguished service in Iraq during the period 1 October 2008 to 31 March 2009".

Personal life

Salmon is President and Founder of the C Group, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, sits on the Advisory Board of the Security Gap Programme at the London School of Economics and is a Visiting Senior Fellow there.