Sir Jim Hockenhull: The 'Accidental General' on his rise to head of Strategic Command
One of the UK's most senior officers has revealed he never expected to make general and still doesn't think of himself in that rank, instead seeing his role as one to support people.
General Sir Jim Hockenhull, the Commander of UK Strategic Command (UKStratCom), spoke to Forces News to shed some light on his current position in the Armed Forces and his progression through the ranks.
Gen Sir Jim has served in joint appointments for the vast majority of his career, including 10 years on operational tours, and was appointed head of UKStratCom in May 2022.
The Accidental General
Gen Sir Jim refers to himself as the 'Accidental General', explaining: "I suppose that partly comes from my background, partly from how I viewed my career."
When he was growing up, he said he expected to join the Army, but never thought he would become a senior officer, let alone a general.
"I didn't even know what a general was," he said.
"My father was an NCO in the Navy, and then he was a taxi driver, and my mother worked in a factory building TV sets.
"I didn't know what generals were or what they did. When I joined the Army, I joined a kind of slightly odd, small part of the Army, in the Intelligence Corps."
He was commissioned into the Intelligence Corps in 1986 after reading Politics at the University of York on a university cadetship.
He then went on to earn an MA from Cranfield University and a Visiting Fellowship at Pembroke College, Oxford.
Gen Sir Jim emphasised that he "never had any thought" of ending up as a general.
"In many ways, I don't think of myself as being a general. My function is not to command anything. I don't have the same role as the heads of the Navy, Army and Royal Air Force," he said.
"They've got their roles, and the current heads of those organisations are all brilliant individuals and they do their jobs brilliantly.
"My role is to support people. So I really don't command. My job is to support, enable, empower and help people be what they can be.
"My job is to help them be successful."
He added: "My job is not to be very grand about anything. My job is to get down and help."
He believes the nature of his career has helped him into his current position.
"I never really expected to be here. But whilst I am here, I want to do the maximum good I can and crucially make it work for the organisation," he explained.
"But also to enjoy and have some fun while doing it."
Uniform
A lot of the work he does for UKStratCom does not require him to be in military clothing, a situation he is more than content to find himself in.
"For us in Strategic Command, we have a range of different capabilities, some of which would be uniformed forces, which wear their uniforms all the time and many of which don't.
"I also think there's something about how we think, and how we define ourselves. And I define myself more by the output and the contribution that we as Strategic Command make and the part that I play in that rather than define myself by wearing a particular uniform."
Gen Sir Jim added: "Of course, I'm incredibly proud of being an Army officer, and I'll wear my uniform when necessary.
"But ... Strategic Command is made of an amazing array of professionals from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Civil Service and a whole range of contracting support.
"Sometimes it feels to me standing up in my Army uniform may feel like the right thing to do, but at other times it might not be seen as the most helpful thing to do in a much broader organisation."
CDS role
He was quizzed on whether or not he turned down the opportunity to be interviewed for the role of Chief of the Defence Staff - the head of the Armed Forces.
Gen Sir Jim replied: "There were a number of people invited to apply. My sense then was that there were better people, who were better suited to have that sort of leadership role.
"On behalf of all of the defence I think we made exactly the right choice in selecting [Admiral Sir] Tony Radakin. And I think he's doing an amazing job, and I hope he will continue doing that for a considerable time.
"I'm not convinced that would have been the right job for me. and that I would have been the right person to do that.
"I think there's an important element for all of us, to try and understand ourselves and understand not only our abilities, but also we should be able to recognise our own limitations."
Gen Sir Jim added: "Me serving in Strategic Command offers a better contribution to UK defence than it would have been me trying to compete for a job where I think actually I wouldn't have been the right choice and where there were people far more suited to that role that I would be."
Commander of Strategic Command
In addition to his career as a professional intelligence officer, he has worked in a variety of strategic planning roles.
He has also served as an exchange officer with the US Army at Leavenworth and Monterrey, and on secondment with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
The role of Strategic Command involves developing and coordinating joint capabilities for UK Defence such as medical services, intelligence, support and logistics, digital and communication systems, cyber, special forces, training and education, and overseas bases.
It also includes managing overseas military operations through the Permanent Joint Headquarters.
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