Royal Navy admiral becomes Nato's second most senior officer as new Deputy Supreme Allied Commander

Nato's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) has welcomed a Royal Navy Admiral as its new Deputy Supreme Allied Commander. 

Admiral Sir Keith Blount KCB OBE was welcomed to the post on Twitter by SHAPE, replacing General Sir Tim Radford after three years in the role.

He is the first member of the Royal Navy to be appointed to the post which is traditionally held by British personnel, and takes over at the most challenging time for the alliance since the Cold War.

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Admiral Sir Keith most recently held the post of Commander of Nato's Allied Maritime Command, which saw him work in the role through both the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Having joined the Navy in 1984, he initially qualified as a helicopter pilot before commanding three warships.

He then led the Iraqi Maritime Task Group and has been Chief of Staff to the European Union Naval Force, before becoming the UK's Component Commander and Deputy Commander of the Combined Maritime Forces, overseeing operations in both Iraq and Syria.