New Army chief is brilliant choice and right person for job, says former general
A former lieutenant general who worked with the incoming head of the Army has told the Sitrep podcast how the service has picked the right person for the job.
General Sir Roly Walker will replace General Sir Patrick Sanders next year as Chief of the General Staff, an appointment that drew praise from his former colleague.
Lieutenant General James Swift, now retired, said on the latest episode of Sitrep that Gen Walker was an "absolute pleasure" to work with.
"When I was the Assistant Chief of the General Staff, he was head of strategy… he is super bright," Lt Gen Swift said.
"He has the sort of intelligence that can not only see through the issue, but can then communicate it and the solution in an understandable way.
"He also gets people, so he's a brilliant choice and the Army is well served."
Professor Michael Clarke, a defence expert and former director of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank, said the Army got "somebody who has got a very distinguished background in the military".
"He was a Guardsman, he was in the Irish Guards as a junior officer and then led the Grenadier Guards, 1st Battalion of the Grenadier Guards," he said.
"He was in 22 SAS and then became Director Special Forces, so he's got a very distinguished operational career."
Mr Clarke also pointed out how Gen Walker won the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in Afghanistan.
"He was blown up in a Ridgeback vehicle, but you don't get the DSO just for being blown up, you get DSOs for leadership at times of stress and with some gallantry and purpose, and so that counts very much in his favour," he said.
"The other aspect of his biography which is really important is that he’s presently deputy chief of the defence staff, DCDS, with responsibility for Strategy and Operations.
"He has a reputation for being transformative, he's a man who changes things and he's certainly got the background within the MOD."
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