Allegiance New Zealand Years of service 1949–1986 | Name Ewan Jamieson Rank Air marshal | |
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Born 19 April 1930Christchurch, New Zealand ( 1930-04-19 ) Died March 21, 2013, Taupo, New Zealand Awards Order of the British Empire, Order of the Bath | ||
Air Marshal Sir David Ewan Jamieson, (19 April 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a senior commander in the Royal New Zealand Air Force. He was Chief of the Air Staff from 1979 to 1983, and Chief of the Defence Staff from 1983 to 1986.
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Air force career
Jamieson joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) in 1949, served on an exchange posting to Germany in 1954, and held command posts by the end of the 1950s. Achieving air officer rank in 1974, his senior appointments were from 1974 to 1978 Air Officer Commanding RNZAF Operations Group. Thereafter he was Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (from 1978 to 1979). This was followed by a period as the professional head of the RNZAF, the Chief of the Air Staff from 1979 to 1983 and a period as New Zealand's most senior military appointment, the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) until his retirement in 1986. During his time as CDS, Jamieson tried to avoid a controversy with the United States over the then Labour government's decision to ban nuclear vessels from visiting New Zealand and preserve the ANZUS defence treaty. In the end Jamieson's compromise solution of accepting a non-nuclear US Navy vessel into New Zealand's waters was not accepted by the government.
Honours
In the 1981 New Year Honours, Jamieson was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1967 Queen's Birthday Honours, and promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1986 New Year Honours.