Barbara Cooper (RAF officer)
Encyclopedia
Air Commodore Barbara Cooper CBE
(born 1959) is a British
Royal Air Force
officer and the current Commandant
of the Air Cadet Organisation
(ACO). She was promoted to Air Commodore
in 2008 and became the RAF's highest-ranking female. She became the Assistant Chief of Staff (Manning) at Air Command headquarters
. She previously served at the tri-Service military Defence Academy in Shrivenham
as Division Director.
.
Since the 1980s, Cooper has had a number of postings, including as staff officer to the Chief of the Air Staff (the most senior position in the RAF). During the Gulf War
, she had responsibility for running the Prisoner of War Information Bureau, acting as liaison to the International Committee of the Red Cross
.
A two-year tenure at RAF Lyneham
(to March 2000), in which Wing Commander Cooper was in charge of base support, where her staff provided operational support for troop movements to Sierra Leone
, led to her being made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her outstanding performance. Thereafter she was stationed at Joint Services Command and Staff College
(JSCSC) at Shrivenham
, which relocated there in the same year.
In the second Gulf Conflict, Cooper served as Deputy Director Service Personnel Policy (Operations and Manning), which includes operational welfare policy, and included reporting before the government Select Committee
on Defence. In recognition of distinguished performance during Operation Telic
, Group Captain Cooper became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE
).
In 2005, Cooper assumed the role of Director Royal Air Force Division at the Defence Academy, which formed in April 2002 as a consolidation of the constituent colleges such as the JSCSC, and Royal College of Defence Studies.
From 2007 she was appointed Assistant Chief of Staff Manpower and Personnel Capability at RAF Air Command HQ
. At the beginning of the following year, Cooper was promoted from Group Captain to the rank of Air Commodore, becoming the most senior female officer in the British armed forces.
From May 2010 she became the senior officer
responsible for running the Air Cadet Organisation
(ACO). Her first public appearance in her new Commandant
role followed one week later at the Cadet150 reception commemorating 150 years of the Cadet Forces of the tri-Service military. The following month she attended the second of the two sesquicentenary events, a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, where she spoke to Air Training Corps members from all over the UK.
, with her husband William, a retired RAF officer. Among those she admires she considers suffragette Emily Pankhurst her greatest inspiration. Her interests include gardening, cycling and watching horseriding events. She lists her favourite author as Shakespeare, she enjoys gardening, walking, cycling and the theatre and is president of the RAF Theatrical Association and the RAF Netball Association.
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
(born 1959) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
officer and the current Commandant
Commandant Air Cadets
Commandant Air Cadets is the title given to the Royal Air Force officer who is responsible for running the Air Cadet Organisation, embracing the Air Training Corps and the RAF Sections of the Combined Cadet Force...
of the Air Cadet Organisation
Air Cadet Organisation
The Air Cadet Organisation is the collective name for the UK cadet forces sponsored by the Royal Air Force. The organisation is subordinate to No. 22 Group RAF, with a serving RAF officer as Commandant Air Cadets. The current Commandant is Air Commodore Barbara Cooper CBE...
(ACO). She was promoted to Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
in 2008 and became the RAF's highest-ranking female. She became the Assistant Chief of Staff (Manning) at Air Command headquarters
RAF High Wycombe
RAF High Wycombe is a Royal Air Force station, situated in the village of Walters Ash, near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England. Its purpose is to serve the needs of the RAF Air Command, situated on the site. It is also the headquarters of the European Air Group...
. She previously served at the tri-Service military Defence Academy in Shrivenham
Shrivenham
Shrivenham is a large village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, close to the boundary with Wiltshire. It is in the Vale of White Horse, between Swindon and Faringdon. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Character:Shrivenham features many...
as Division Director.
Early life
Born in Canada, Cooper moved with her family to Britain aged eleven. She lived in Worcestershire, where she attended Evesham High SchoolEvesham High School
Evesham High School , also known as EHS, is a dual Specialist Sports College and Maths and Computing College located in Evesham, Worcestershire, England...
.
Military career
On a short service commission in 1979, Cooper joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the role of air-traffic controller, at a time when far fewer women were in the Service. She served for seven years. On leaving, she went on to gain qualifications in property management. Finding she missed the Service, she chose to return in 1987, entering the Administrative Branch.Since the 1980s, Cooper has had a number of postings, including as staff officer to the Chief of the Air Staff (the most senior position in the RAF). During the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, she had responsibility for running the Prisoner of War Information Bureau, acting as liaison to the International Committee of the Red Cross
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
.
A two-year tenure at RAF Lyneham
RAF Lyneham
RAF Lyneham is a Royal Air Force station in Wiltshire, England. It was the home of all the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft of the Royal Air Force before they were relocated to RAF Brize Norton.The station was also home to No...
(to March 2000), in which Wing Commander Cooper was in charge of base support, where her staff provided operational support for troop movements to Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone Civil War
The Sierra Leone Civil War began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front , with support from the special forces of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia , intervened in Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government...
, led to her being made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her outstanding performance. Thereafter she was stationed at Joint Services Command and Staff College
Joint Services Command and Staff College
Joint Services Command and Staff College is a British military academic establishment providing training and education to experienced officers of the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force, Ministry of Defence Civil Service, and serving officers of other states.-History:JSCSC combined the single...
(JSCSC) at Shrivenham
Shrivenham
Shrivenham is a large village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, close to the boundary with Wiltshire. It is in the Vale of White Horse, between Swindon and Faringdon. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Character:Shrivenham features many...
, which relocated there in the same year.
In the second Gulf Conflict, Cooper served as Deputy Director Service Personnel Policy (Operations and Manning), which includes operational welfare policy, and included reporting before the government Select Committee
Defence Select Committee
The Defence Select Committee is one of the Select Committees of the British House of Commons, having been established in 1979. It oversees the operations of the Ministry of Defence and its associated public bodies, including the armed forces.-Membership:...
on Defence. In recognition of distinguished performance during Operation Telic
Operation Telic
Operation TELIC was the codename under which all British military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the Invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on 22 May 2011...
, Group Captain Cooper became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
).
In 2005, Cooper assumed the role of Director Royal Air Force Division at the Defence Academy, which formed in April 2002 as a consolidation of the constituent colleges such as the JSCSC, and Royal College of Defence Studies.
From 2007 she was appointed Assistant Chief of Staff Manpower and Personnel Capability at RAF Air Command HQ
RAF High Wycombe
RAF High Wycombe is a Royal Air Force station, situated in the village of Walters Ash, near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England. Its purpose is to serve the needs of the RAF Air Command, situated on the site. It is also the headquarters of the European Air Group...
. At the beginning of the following year, Cooper was promoted from Group Captain to the rank of Air Commodore, becoming the most senior female officer in the British armed forces.
From May 2010 she became the senior officer
Air Officer
An air officer is a Royal Air Force officer of the rank of air commodore or higher. Such officers may be termed "officers of air rank". The term is also used by many Commonwealth nations who have a similar rank structure to the RAF....
responsible for running the Air Cadet Organisation
Air Cadet Organisation
The Air Cadet Organisation is the collective name for the UK cadet forces sponsored by the Royal Air Force. The organisation is subordinate to No. 22 Group RAF, with a serving RAF officer as Commandant Air Cadets. The current Commandant is Air Commodore Barbara Cooper CBE...
(ACO). Her first public appearance in her new Commandant
Commandant Air Cadets
Commandant Air Cadets is the title given to the Royal Air Force officer who is responsible for running the Air Cadet Organisation, embracing the Air Training Corps and the RAF Sections of the Combined Cadet Force...
role followed one week later at the Cadet150 reception commemorating 150 years of the Cadet Forces of the tri-Service military. The following month she attended the second of the two sesquicentenary events, a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, where she spoke to Air Training Corps members from all over the UK.
Personal life
Cooper lives in CirencesterCirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
, with her husband William, a retired RAF officer. Among those she admires she considers suffragette Emily Pankhurst her greatest inspiration. Her interests include gardening, cycling and watching horseriding events. She lists her favourite author as Shakespeare, she enjoys gardening, walking, cycling and the theatre and is president of the RAF Theatrical Association and the RAF Netball Association.