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Richard Kemp

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This article is about the twenty-first century colonel. For other people, seeRichard Kemp (disambiguation).

Colonel

Richard Kemp

CBE
Richard Kemp, pictured here in 2003.
Born(1959-04-14)14 April 1959(age 65)
Maldon,Essex,England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1977−2006
RankColonel
Service number505991[1]
UnitRoyal Anglian Regiment
Battles/warsOperation Banner
Gulf War
Bosnian War
War in Afghanistan
Iraq War
AwardsCommander of the Order of the British Empire
Queen's Commendation for Bravery

ColonelRichard Justin KempCBE(born 14 April 1959) is a retiredBritish Armyofficer who served from 1977 to 2006. Kemp was an infantry battalion commanding officer. Among his assignments were the command of Operation Fingal in Afghanistan from July to November 2003. After retiring Kemp co-wroteAttack State RedwithChris Hughes,an account of the 2007 Afghanistan campaign undertaken by theRoyal Anglian Regiment,documenting their initial deployment.

Kemp has spoken on a range of social and political issues, including the British armed forces, the Middle East, and the European Union.[2]

He is the head of the UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel’s Soldiers (UK-AWIS), the UK branch of AWIS, an Israeli organisation managed by theIsrael Defense Forcesand headed by GeneralYoram Yair.[3]

Early life and military career

Kemp was educated atColchester Royal Grammar Schoolbefore serving as a soldier and officer in theRoyal Anglian Regimentfrom 1977 to 2006. Having trained as an infantry soldier in 1977 atBassingbourn Barracks,Cambridgeshire,he attended theRoyal Military Academy Sandhurstand was commissioned asSecond Lieutenanton theGeneral Liston 5 August 1978.[4]Posted back to the Royal Anglian Regiment in 1979,[5]Kemp was appointed as a platoon commander with the 3rdBattalion,based in Palace Barracks,Belfast.

During his military career Kemp completed seven deployments onOperation Bannerin Northern Ireland. He was promoted to the rank ofLieutenantin 1980[6]andCaptainin 1985.[7]He later became a training instructor at Bassingbourn before a posting to the 2nd Battalion as the second in command of a company, Milan Platoon commander, and then battle group operations officer, serving in several locations across the world, including a tour as part ofUNFICYPin Cyprus.

Crossmaglen Security Forces Base, South Armagh, Northern Ireland

As a captain in the Royal Anglian Regiment, Kemp took part in the firstGulf Warin 1990–91, commanding the Tactical Headquarters of7th Armoured Brigade,[8]and was promoted to the rank ofMajorin 1991.[9]

Following tours with the7th Armoured Brigadeand in Headquarters Northern Ireland, he returned to the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment as Point Company Commander, leading the company in Bosnia, Germany and Canada.[citation needed]In Bosnia, he served on operations with the United Nations (UNPROFOR).[citation needed]He then took over the Armoured Infantry Training and Advisory Team based atHohneandSennelager,and held astaff appointmentin theMinistry of Defence.[citation needed]

Kemp was promoted to the rank ofLieutenant-Colonelin 1997[10]and commanded the 1stBattalionof the Royal Anglian Regiment in Oakington andDerryfrom 1998 to 2000. After this command, he was appointed commander of the Operational Training and Advisory Group and then spent six months as Counter Terrorism and Security Advisor to the Government ofMacedonia.[citation needed]

Royal Anglian machine-gunners, Helmand, 2007

Kemp was attached to theCabinet Officefrom 2001 to 2006,[citation needed]during which time he was briefly Commander of Operation Fingal in Afghanistan (between July and November 2003) with approximately 300 soldiers under his command.[11][12]At the Cabinet Office he worked for theJoint Intelligence Committeeand the national crisis management group,COBRA,[citation needed]during the period of the2005 London bombingsand a series of kidnappings of British nationals in Iraq and Afghanistan. His responsibilities included Iraq,[citation needed]and he made several visits to Baghdad, Fallujah and Mosul. He was promoted to the rank of colonel on 30 June 2004[13]and retired from the army on 30 March 2006.[14]

After leaving the army, Kemp co-authored the bookAttack State RedwithChris Hughes,a journalist with theDaily Mirror.It describes the deployment of theRoyal Anglian RegimentinHelmand Province,Afghanistan,in 2007 as a part ofOperation Herrick.[15]The title of the book comes from the British military standing operating procedures (SOPs) for the alert state of a base referring to the likelihood of attack. The book was published in September 2009 byPenguin Books.

Politics

Kemp has repeatedly spoken out against the investigation and prosecution of British soldiers for suspected criminal acts in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the opening of new investigations relating to the actions of British soldiers in Northern Ireland during theTroubles,including those relating toBloody Sunday.[16][17]Kemp told theBelfast News Letterthat he was concerned about the investigations into historic crimes, stating "It is obvious some soldiers do some wrong things of course but there is a very clear difference between them and terrorists. Soldiers set out to uphold the law whereas terrorists set out to maim and murder. They should be treated differently."[18]Kemp was questioned by police in 2000 concerning his suspected role in the murder of a prominent Republican figure during the 1980s, but charges were not brought against him.[19]

Kemp is a member of the advisory board ofVeterans for Britain,which campaigned strongly during the2016 referendumfor the UK to leave the European Union.[20]

In 2015, Kemp spoke out in support of granting asylum in the UK to Afghan interpreters who had worked with British armed forces.[21]

Kemp criticised the findings of the 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry Report on Gaza, calling it "flawed and dangerous".[22]His analysis was strongly critiqued byRichard Falk,former U.N. Special Rapporteur on Palestine, who accused Kemp of ignoring and misinterpreting international law.[23]

Kemp was involved in the "Honour the Brave" campaign led by theDaily Mirrorin 2007 and 2008 to recognise the sacrifice of British troops killed or wounded in action by the award of a medal similar to the USPurple Heart.[24]

In October 2013 British media reported that Kemp may be on anAl-Qaedadeath list. Kemp featured alongside others who have spoken out against Islamist terrorism on a video released by the Al Qaeda groupal-Shabaab,which was responsible for an attack on aNairobishopping mall in 2013. The video included a clip from the BBC TV programmeHARDtalkof Kemp condemning themurder of Fusilier Drummer Lee RigbyinWoolwich.The al-Shabaab urged UK Islamists to copy the murder. TheDaily Mirrorreported that anti-terrorist police had discussed with Kemp this death threat and concerns over his security.[25]

Kemp has consistently criticised efforts by the British Army to increase gender and ethnic diversity. In 2014 he expressed his strong opposition to the proposal to end the policy prohibition on women serving in ground close combat roles, stating that women lack "ferocity, aggression and killer instinct".[26]Writing in theDaily Telegraphin 2016 he alleged that the decision to allow women access to all armed forces roles was driven by "feminist zealots and ideologues hell-bent on equality of opportunity without exception" and that "through no fault of their own, women will often become the weak link in an infantry team. The men will have to take up the slack".[27]Kemp was critical of the army's 2018 recruitment advertising campaign, "This is Belonging", stating that "The army, like the rest of government, is being forced down a route ofpolitical correctness... What is most important is that the army is full of soldiers. It is of secondary importance that they reflect the composition of society. "[28]

On 1 August 2017,The Timespublished an article by Kemp claiming that Islamic State forces were attempting to infiltrate the British armed forces, stating that "The understandable drive by the armed forces and police to recruit more Muslims, and a less understandable concern for ticking the politically correct box over operational effectiveness, combine into an unprecedented danger."[29]The article was condemned for stigmatising all young Muslims as "potential terrorists" and undermining attempts to increase diversity in the British armed forces.[30]

Kemp has defended the continued enlistment of 16 and 17-year olds by the British armed forces, despite criticism of the policy from child rights organisations, arguing that the recruitment policy "unquestionably boosts the quality and fighting effectiveness of the armed forces".[31]

On 11 March 2015 Kemp visited theUniversity of Sydneyto deliver a lecture on "Ethical Dilemmas of Military Tactics" and the complexities in dealing withviolent non-state actorssuch asISIL.This lecture was interrupted by a group of pro-Palestiniandemonstrators led by Associate-ProfessorJake Lynch,the director of the university's Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies. Following a heated exchange between the protesters and audience members, the pro-Palestinian protesters were evicted by security guards. In response to the incident, Kemp wrote a letter to the University of Sydney criticising Lynch's behaviour and accusing the latter ofantisemitism.The University of Sydney later commenced an investigation into the incident.[32][33]

In April 2017, a column written by Kemp and published in theJewish Newssuggested thatBaroness Warsihad sought to excuse the conduct of theIslamic State group.TheJewish Newswas subsequently ordered to pay £20,000 in damages plus costs to Warsi.[34]In its public apology, theJewish Newsstated

In a column written by Colonel Richard Kemp published in the Jewish News and jewishnews.co.uk on 6 April 2017, it was suggested that Baroness Sayeeda Warsi has sought to excuse the appalling conduct of the barbaric Islamic State terror group. The column also suggested that Baroness Warsi has objected to action being taken against British Muslims who murder and rape for Islamic State. We wish to make absolutely clear that these allegations were wholly untrue and should never have been published.[35]

Warsi donated the damages to a charity for Muslim and Jewish women.[35]Kemp himself did not issue an apology, and was accused by Warsi of appearing "to wantonly publish inflammatory and offensive comments without a thought for the consequences (let alone the truth)."[34]

On 23 July 2018,The Daily Telegraphpublished an article by Kemp which argued that after itsdeparture from the European Union,Britain should re-instate the death penalty for terrorism suspects.[36]

In July 2017 he received criticism for his usage of the term "taig",a racial slur for Catholics of Irish descent, during an exchange on Twitter, including from formerLabourMP and British Army officerEric Joycewho questioned if he knew it was a "racist term of abuse". In his defence, Kemp mentioned that he is a practising Catholic and, having often been subject to the term as a result, he did not consider it a term of abuse.[37]

In 2023, Kemp expressed support for Israel's actions in theGaza Stripduring theIsrael–Hamas war.[38]On 10 November 2023 he wrote an article titled "Israel is not struggling in Gaza" claimingIDFwas "winning a rapid victory."[39]This article was published days before 13 high-ranking Israeli officers from the eliteGolani Brigadewere killed in aHamas ambushin northern Gaza[40]and weeks before 24 IDF soldiers were killed in another Hamas ambush in central Gaza,[41]after which IDF Chief of StaffHerzi Haleviadmitted Israel was "paying a heavy and painful price" in Gaza battles[42]and Minister and former IDF generalBenny Gantzsaid that an Israeli victory in the war "might take many years or even a generation."[43]

Honours and awards

Kemp was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire(MBE), Military Division, on 25 April 1994 in recognition of his intelligence work in Northern Ireland in 1993,[44]and was awarded theQueen's Commendation for Braveryfor service as a commander in theUnited Nations Protection Forcein Bosnia in 1994.[45]He was promoted Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), Military Division, in theNew Year Honours 2006.[46]He received anhonorary doctoratefromBar-Ilan Universityin 2015.[47]

References

  1. ^"No. 53653".The London Gazette(Supplement). 25 April 1994. p. 6165.
  2. ^"EU 'draws money from Nato'".BBC News.25 May 2016.Retrieved23 June2020.
  3. ^https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/bbc-newsnight-failed-declare-richard-kemp-link-idf-israel-army-gaza-palestine/
  4. ^"No. 47655".The London Gazette(Supplement). 2 October 1978. pp. 11765–11766.
  5. ^"No. 47830".The London Gazette(Supplement). 30 April 1979. p. 5681.
  6. ^"No. 48294".The London Gazette(Supplement). 1 September 1980. p. 12372.
  7. ^"No. 50032".The London Gazette(Supplement). 11 February 1985. p. 2001.
  8. ^Cordingley, Patrick(1 August 1996).In the Eye of the Storm.Hodder & Stoughton.ISBN978-0340682456.
  9. ^"No. 52691".The London Gazette(Supplement). 21 October 1991. pp. 16034–16035.
  10. ^"No. 54827".The London Gazette(Supplement). 7 July 1997. pp. 7831–7832.
  11. ^"Col Richard Kemp's command(s) in Afghanistan - a Freedom of Information request to Ministry of Defence".WhatDoTheyKnow.13 December 2017.Retrieved15 January2018.
  12. ^Harding, Thomas (28 August 2007)."Call for Second Iraq Medal clasp".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved23 August2009.(subscription required)
  13. ^"No. 57351".The London Gazette(Supplement). 13 July 2004. p. 8719.
  14. ^"No. 57945".The London Gazette(Supplement). 4 April 2006. p. 4707.
  15. ^Kemp, Richard; Hughes, Chris (1 August 2009).Attack State Red.London:Penguin.ISBN978-0-141-92436-6.
  16. ^"Government 'afraid of Sinn Fein' over soldier prosecutions, says retired Army Commander".Belfast Telegraph.16 May 2019.ISSN0307-1235.
  17. ^"Bloody Sunday decision reaction".BBC News.14 March 2019.
  18. ^"˜Unfair to reinvestigate soldiers 30 years later unless fresh evidence".The News Letter.21 June 2018.Retrieved23 June2020.
  19. ^"Ex-NI soldier recalls questioning over republican's murder as calls grow for veteran protection from prosecutions".Belfast Telegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Retrieved23 June2020.
  20. ^"Our People".Veterans for Britain.Archived fromthe originalon 11 March 2017.Retrieved18 May2019.
  21. ^"Britain 'owes Afghan interpreters a debt of honour'".www.telegraph.co.uk.
  22. ^Kemp, Richard (25 June 2015)."The U.N.'s Gaza Report Is Flawed and Dangerous".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved23 June2020.
  23. ^Falk, Richard (7 July 2015)."Israel's Counterinsurgency Apologist: Colonel Richard Kemp".Foreign Policy Journal.Retrieved23 June2020.
  24. ^"Posthumous Award for Troops Killed on Operations".The Daily Telegraph.10 June 2008.Retrieved23 August2009.(subscription required)
  25. ^Hughes, Chris (22 October 2013)."Former army commander defiant after warning he may be on al-Shabaab death list".Daily Mirror.
  26. ^Barnett, Emma (24 November 2014)."We can train women to kill, but men won't like it".The Daily Telegraph.(subscription required)
  27. ^Kemp, Richard (5 April 2016)."Putting women on the front line is dangerous PC meddling. We will pay for it in blood".The Daily Telegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Retrieved17 May2019.(subscription required)
  28. ^Weaver, Matthew (10 January 2018)."Army accused of political correctness in recruitment campaign".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved23 June2020.
  29. ^Kemp, Richard (1 August 2017)."Islamists may have already infiltrated our armed forces".The Times.ISSN0140-0460.Retrieved17 May2019.(subscription required)
  30. ^Ahmed, Ask (3 August 2017)."It's Time To Stop Stigmatising Muslim Recruits".HuffPost.
  31. ^Morris, Steven (29 November 2017)."Charity criticises British army campaign to recruit under-18s".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved23 June2019.
  32. ^Falkenstein, Glen (17 March 2015)."Antisemitism on Campus: Has Sydney University's Jake Lynch Finally Gone Too Far?".Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Archived fromthe originalon 21 March 2015.Retrieved18 March2015.
  33. ^Kemp, Richard."Letter to Sydney Uni from Colonel Richard Kemp".On Line Opinion.Retrieved17 March2015.
  34. ^ab"Baroness Warsi secures front page apology and libel damages from Jewish News over Kemp article"(Press release). 23 February 2018.Retrieved25 October2023.
  35. ^ab"Baroness Sayeeda Warsi – an apology".Jewish News.20 November 2018.Retrieved23 June2020.
  36. ^Kemp, Richard (23 July 2018)."After Brexit, we can give Isil terrorists the justice they deserve – and that means the death penalty".The Telegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Retrieved18 May2019.(subscription required)
  37. ^Monaghan, John (29 July 2017)."Former British army commander does not consider 'taig' as a 'term of abuse'".The Irish News.Retrieved12 March2018.
  38. ^"Douglas Murray, Col. Richard Kemp explain uphill battle for Israel".The Jerusalem Post.29 December 2023.
  39. ^Kemp, Richard (10 November 2023)."Israel isn't struggling in Gaza. It's winning a rapid victory".The Telegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Retrieved13 June2024.
  40. ^https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-best-of-the-best-officers-soldiers-killed-in-deadly-gaza-ambush-laid-to-rest/
  41. ^Burke, Jason (23 January 2024)."Twenty-four soldiers killed in deadliest day for Israeli forces of Gaza war".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved13 June2024.
  42. ^"Israel has 'paid a heavy price' in Gaza: Army chief".www.aa.com.tr.Retrieved13 June2024.
  43. ^"'War now, peace later:' Benny Gantz nixes Palestinian state talks ".The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.18 February 2024.Retrieved13 June2024.
  44. ^"No. 53653".The London Gazette(Supplement). 25 April 1994. p. 6165.
  45. ^"No. 54028".The London Gazette(Supplement). 9 May 1995. p. 6612.
  46. ^"No. 57855".The London Gazette(Supplement). 31 December 2005. p. 5.
  47. ^Michael Rabi."Bar-Ilan University bestows an honorary doctorate on Colonel (ret.) Richard Kemp".British friends of Bar-Ilan University.Archived fromthe originalon 26 September 2015.Retrieved15 December2015.
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