Nickname(s) Ted Years of service 1982 – present Service number 5204227Q Service/branch Royal Air Force | Allegiance United Kingdom Rank Air Vice Marshal Other name Ted | |
Battles/wars Gulf War
Operation Southern Watch
Iraq War
Operation Unified Protector Award Order of the British Empire Battles and wars Gulf War, Operation Southern Watch, Iraq War, Operation Unified Protector Commands helds Air Warfare Centre, RAF Leeming, No. 54 Squadron RAF, No. 904 Expeditionary Air Wing | ||
Air Vice Marshal Edward Jackson Stringer, CBE is a senior Royal Air Force officer. From April 2013 to January 2015, he served as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff. Since March 2015, he has served as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations).
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Early life
Stringer studied engineering at the University of Liverpool. He graduated Bachelor of Engineering in 1985.
Military career
Stringer was commissioned into the General Duties Branch of the Royal Air Force on 5 September 1982 as an acting pilot officer. He was assigned the service number 5204227Q. He was regraded to pilot officer on 15 July 1985 with seniority from 15 April 1984. Following flying training, he was posted to the Jaguar Force. He then became a Qualified Weapons Instructor. He was promoted to flying officer on 15 January 1986 with seniority from 15 October 1984, and to flight lieutenant on 15 April 1987. He saw active service in the Gulf War of 1990 to 1991. On 1 January 1995, he was promoted to squadron leader as part of the half yearly promotions. Between April and September 1999, he was posted to the Gulf as part of Operation Southern Watch to maintain the Iraqi no-fly zones, for which he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire "in recognition of [his] gallant and distinguished services".
He became officer commanding No. 54 Squadron in which capacity he was deployed as Jaguar Force Commander for the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He became Station Commander at RAF Leeming and then commanding officer of No. 904 Expeditionary Air Wing based at Kandahar in 2008. Advanced to Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2009 New Year Honours, Stringer was appointed Commandant of the Air Warfare Centre later that year. In this role he was deployed as Air Contingent Commander for the NATO Operation in Libya (Operation Unified Protector). He went on to be Liaison Officer to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington D.C. in October 2012.
On 5 April 2013, he was promoted to air vice marshal and appointed Assistant Chief of the Air Staff. In January 2015, he was succeeded in that role by Richard Knighton. In March 2015, he was appointed Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations).