Lieutenant GeneralSir Charles Richard Stickland,KCB,OBE(born 16 May 1968) is a seniorRoyal Marinesofficer, who served as theChief of Joint Operationsfrom November 2021 to November 2024. He wasCommandant General Royal Marinesfrom January 2018 to June 2019.
Sir Charles Stickland | |
|---|---|
 Major General Stickland in 2018 | |
| Born | 16 May 1968 Pembury,Kent, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | Royal Marines |
| Years of service | 1987–present |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | Chief of Joint Operations Commandant General Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade 42 Commando |
| Battles / wars | Operation Banner Iraq War War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Officer of the Order of the British Empire Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service |
Early life and education
editStickland was born on 16 May 1968 inPembury,Kent, England.[1]He was educated atSevenoaks School,aprivate schoolin Kent.[2]He studied atCity University,London, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in systems andmanagement scienceand a Master of Arts degree indefence studies.[1]
Military career
editStickland was commissioned into theRoyal Marinesin 1987.[3]He first saw service inNorthern Irelandand went on to complete amphibious operations in the Mediterranean and Far East on anti-smuggling operations.[4]In 1999 he was selected forStaff Collegeand spent time in theMinistry of Defencein procurement; from there he became the Ministry of Defence lead forWestand Southern Africa, co-ordinating military activity across the region.[5]
Stickland became Senior UK Liaison Officer with the USXVIII Airborne CorpsinBaghdadin 2005 and Chief of Staff of the UK Task Force in Afghanistan in 2006.[6]On 19 July 2007, he was awarded theQueen's Commendation for Valuable Service"in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Afghanistan during the period 1st October 2006 to 31st March 2007".[7]He returned for another tour in Afghanistan as commander42 Commandoin 2008.[3]On 11 September 2009, he was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire(OBE) "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Afghanistan during the period 1st October 2008 to 31st March 2009".[8]
On promotion tocolonelin 2010, he became team leader of the Fleet Operational Policy team on the 'Gulf Preparedness Initiative' as well as oversight of counter-piracy operations and the Maritime Trade Organisation node inDubai.[9]He then went on to be Chief of Staff of the Joint Force Headquarters in 2012 and on completion of theHigher Command and Staff Coursehe became commander of3 Commando Brigadein 2014.[3]After that he became Chief Joint Force Operations in 2016, a role that entailed a number of non-Combatant Evacuation and Humanitarian Assistance operations.[4]
Promoted tomajor generalin October 2017, Stickland was appointed commander ofOperation Atalantaon 7 November.[5]He becameCommandant General Royal Marinesin January 2018.[9]He handed over command of Commandant General Royal Marines to Major GeneralMatthew Holmesin June 2019.[10]He was appointed aCompanion of the Order of the Bathin the2019 Birthday Honours.[11]He becameAssistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations and Commitments)at the Ministry of Defence in June 2019,[12]andChief of Joint Operations(CJO) at thePermanent Joint Headquartersin November 2021.[13]With the new appointment of CJO, Stickland was promoted tolieutenant generalin December 2021.[14]In the2024 King's Birthday Honours,he was promoted toKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath.[15][16]
Personal life
editStickland is married to Mishy and has three sons. His interests includerugby,climbingandskiing.[4]
References
edit- ^ab"Stickland, Maj. Gen. Charles Richard".Who's Who 2019.Oxford University Press. 1 December 2018.Retrieved26 June2019.
- ^"Sevenoaks School".Potentiality Online Communities.Retrieved20 January2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^abc"Major General Charlie Stickland OBE"(PDF).EU.Retrieved20 December2017.
- ^abc"Major General Charlie Stickland OBE".The Royal Marines Charity.Retrieved20 January2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ab"Major General Magowan hands over Operation Command of EU NAVFOR Somalia to Major General Stickland".EU Naval Force. 7 November 2017.Retrieved20 December2017.
- ^"QCVS"(PDF).
- ^"No. 58396".The London Gazette(Supplement). 19 July 2007. p. 10412.
- ^"No. 59182".The London Gazette(Supplement). 11 September 2009. p. 15639.
- ^ab"Supersession of the Commandant General Royal Marines".Royal Marines Charity. 19 January 2018.Retrieved26 January2018.
- ^"Supersession of the Commandant General Royal Marines (CGRM)".theroyalmarinescharity.org.uk.Plymouth. 14 June 2019.Retrieved19 June2019.
- ^"No. 62666".The London Gazette(Supplement). 8 June 2019. p. B2.
- ^"Ministry of Defence and Tri-Service Appointments"(PDF).gulabin(pdf). 20 June 2019.Retrieved26 June2019.
- ^"Lieutenant General Charlie Stickland CB OBE".Ministry of Defence.Retrieved15 November2021.
- ^"No. 63567".The London Gazette(Supplement). 29 December 2021. p. 23681.
- ^"The Military division of The King's Birthday Honours List 2024".GOV.UK.Ministry of Defence. 14 June 2024.Retrieved14 June2024.
- ^"No. 64423".The London Gazette(Supplement). 15 June 2024. p. B2.