|
Admiral Sir George Zambellas KCB DSC
Admiral Sir George Zambellas
was educated in Zimbabwe, at Stowe and Southampton University, graduating in
Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. He joined the Royal Navy in 1980
from the aerospace industry and qualified as a pilot in 1982. He flew three
tours in different helicopter types, serving in carriers and frigates. After
staff training in 1990, and a brief spell as a corporate planner, he
commanded the mine hunter HMS Cattistock. In 1993, he was posted to
Northwood as a Fleet aviation operations officer before promotion in 1995
and command of the frigate HMS Argyll.
During the 1997/98 Strategic Defence Review, he served with the MoD Centre
Staff, helping to shape the maritime case within Defence’s tri-Service
balance of investment. In 1999, as a Captain, he commanded HMS Chatham,
which included Operation Palliser in Sierra Leone . In 2001 George Zambellas
attended the Higher Command and Staff Course, and then became Deputy Flag
Officer Sea Training, responsible for training Royal Navy and foreign
warships and auxiliaries.
Between 2002 and 2004, as a Commodore, he was Principal Staff Officer to two
Chiefs of the Defence Staff. In 2005 he commanded the Royal Navy’s
Amphibious Task Group, overseeing the introduction of two new amphibious
classes of ships, and the Bowman radio and data system into amphibious
operational use. He and his staff supported Operation Highbrow, the
evacuation of civilians from the Lebanon , in July 2006.
In 2006, as a Rear Admiral, he was appointed as Chief of Staff
(Transformation), leading the change programme to design and deliver the
Fleet’s new approach to the generation of maritime capability and support to
operations. In 2007, he was Commander United Kingdom Maritime Force and, in
October 2008, Chief of Staff (Operations) at the UK ’s Permanent Joint
Headquarters (PJHQ) at Northwood. On promotion to Vice Admiral in January
2011, he was appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief Fleet, Chief of Staff to
the Navy Command Headquarters, and the Chief Naval Warfare Officer.
Following an appointment as the Commander Allied Maritime Command
(Northwood) and the Royal Navy’s Fleet Commander Admiral Zambellas was
appointed First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff in April 2013.
The First Sea Lord maintains effective command and control of the Royal Navy
by means of three principal headquarters:
|
