Richard Thompson (Royal Navy officer)
{{short description|British naval officer}}
{{Other people|Richard Thompson}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = Vice Admiral
| name = Sir Richard Thompson
| honorific_suffix = KCB CBE FRS CEng FRAeS
| image = RAdm Richard Thompson (cropped).jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = Rear Admiral Thompson in 2016
| nickname =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|02|12|df=yes}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| placeofburial =
| allegiance = United Kingdom
| branch = Royal Navy
| serviceyears = 1985–2024
| rank = Vice Admiral
| servicenumber =
| unit =
| commands =
| battles = Gulf War
Sierra Leone Civil War
| awards = Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
| alma_mater = King's College London
Royal Naval Engineering College
| relations =
| laterwork =
}}
Vice Admiral Sir Richard Charles Thompson, {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|KCB|CBE|FRS|CEng|FRAeS}} (born 12 February 1966) is a retired Royal Navy officer.
Early life and education
Thompson was born on 12 February 1966 in Reading, Berkshire, England. He was educated at Meadway School, a state school in Reading. He studied engineering at the Royal Naval Engineering College and King's College London.{{cite web |title=Thompson, Rear Adm. Richard Charles, (born 12 Feb. 1966), Managing Director, Sealand Support Services Ltd, since 2018 |url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-278745 |website=Who's Who 2020 |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=23 October 2020 |language=en |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U278745 |date=1 December 2019|isbn=978-0-19-954088-4 }}
Naval career
Thompson joined the Royal Navy in 1985.{{cite web|url=https://des.mod.uk/new-director-general-air-announced/|title=New Director General Announced|date=6 August 2020|publisher=Ministry of Defence|access-date=5 September 2020}} He served with 845 Naval Air Squadron from 1989 to 1991, and with 849 Naval Air Squadron from 1991 to 1993. He served as Senior Air Engineer on the aircraft carrier {{HMS|Ark Royal|R07|6}} and went on to be team leader responsible for the procurement and integration of the Lightning II multirole combat aircraft. He was promoted to commodore on 27 July 2012.{{London Gazette|issue=60255|supp=y|page=16941|date=4 September 2012}}
Thompson became Director (Technical) at the Military Aviation Authority in October 2016.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/richard-thompson|title=Rear Admiral Richard Thompson CBE MA BEng(Hons) CEng FRAeS RN|publisher=Ministry of Defence|access-date=5 September 2020}} He was appointed Director General Air at Defence Equipment and Support and Air Member for Materiel on the Air Force Board in September 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/senior-appointments/|title=Senior Appointments|publisher=Royal Air Force|access-date=5 September 2020}} He retired from the Royal Navy on 16 October 2024.{{London Gazette|issue=64578|page=23970|supp=y|date=26 November 2024}}
Thompson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2007 Birthday Honours,{{London Gazette|issue=58358|page=4|supp=y|date=16 June 2007}} and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours.{{London Gazette|issue=60728|page=5|supp=y|date=31 December 2013}} He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2023 Birthday Honours.{{London Gazette|issue=64082|page=B2|supp=y|date=17 June 2023}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=Julian Young}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chief of Materiel – Air, Defence Equipment and Support
and Air Member for Materiel| years=2020–present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Richard}}
Category:British military personnel of the Sierra Leone Civil War
Category:21st-century Royal Navy personnel
Category:Royal Navy personnel of the Gulf War
Category:Royal Navy vice admirals
Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Category:Alumni of King's College London