Air Vice-Marshal Michael John Smeath, CBE (born 2 October 1967) is a senior Royal Air Force officer.
Michael Smeath | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Smeath in 2023 | |
| Born | 2 October 1967 |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1989–present |
| Rank | Air Vice-Marshal |
| Commands held | RAF Regiment RAF Honington No. 34 Squadron RAF Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Gulf War Bosnian War Iraq War War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
Education
Smeath holds a Bachelor of Science from the Open University, a Master of Arts from King's College London, and is a graduate of Deakin University, Canberra.[1]
RAF career
Smeath was commissioned into the Royal Air Force (RAF) on 15 January 1989.[2] He served as officer commanding No. 34 Squadron RAF Regiment.[3] He went on to be Station Commander at RAF Honington in 2014,[4] Liaison Officer to the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee in July 2017 and Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Defence Staff in August 2018.[5] In February 2020 Smeath was appointed Head of the British Defence Staff and Defence Attaché in Washington, D.C., with effect from August 2020.[6] In January 2023, he was appointed director of the Global Defence Network in the Ministry of Defence;[7] as such, he is head of the UK's military attaché world wide network.[8]
Smeath was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2001 Birthday Honours,[9] and advanced to Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2018 New Year Honours.[10]