Robert Magowan

Military career

Educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Faversham and the University of Southampton (BSc Chemistry, 1989), Magowan was commissioned into the Royal Marines in 1989. He became Plans Officer at Headquarters 3rd Mechanised Division in 2001 in which role he was deployed to Afghanistan and then became second-in-command of 42 Commando in which role he took part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He joined the Cabinet Office Assessment Staff in 2003 and the Afghan Drugs Inter-departmental Unit in 2005 before becoming commanding officer of 30 Commando Information Exploitation Group in 2006 in which role he commanded IX Battle Group in Afghanistan in 2007.

Magowan became a Deputy Head in Defence Intelligence in 2009, Chief of Staff to the National Contingent Commander at the headquarters of the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul in 2012 and Commodore, National Personnel Strategy at Navy Command Headquarters in March 2013. He became Commandant General Royal Marines in May/June 2016 and became commander of Operation Atalanta in June 2016.

Honours

In the 2005 New Year Honours, Magowan was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). He was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in October 2013 Operational Honours, which were awarded for services on operations in Afghanistan for the period September 2012 to April 2013. He was made a CBE "for his outstanding contribution in strengthening bonds between British forces and the Afghans".