Air Marshal

Air Marshal

Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...

 Sir Barry Michael Thornton KCB

Order of the Bath

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...

, MSc, CEng, FIMechE, FCMI, FRAeS, RAF was a senior commander in the 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...

.

RAF career

Educated at Baines Grammar School and the University of Nottingham

University of Nottingham

The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...

, Thornton joined the 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...

 in 1976. He was given command of the Engineering and Supply Wing at RAF Honington

RAF Honington

RAF Honington is a Royal Air Force station located south of Thetford near Ixworth in Suffolk, England. Although used as a bomber station during the Second World War, RAF Honington is now the RAF Regiment depot and home to the Joint CBRN Regiment.-RAF use:...

 in 1988 and subsequently deployed to Tabuk Air Base 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...

. In 1991 he took command of the RAF's nuclear weapon

Nuclear weapon

A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...

 inspection team. Then in 1997 he joined the Defence Procurement Agency

Defence Procurement Agency

The Defence Procurement Agency , was an Executive Agency of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence responsible for the acquisition of materiel, equipment and services, for the British armed forces....

 as the Director of Maritime Projects with responsibility for the Merlin and Nimrod programmes. In 2000 he became Controller of Aircraft

Controller Aircraft

Controller Aircraft or Controller of Aircraft is a senior Royal Air Force appointment which has the responsible for releasing new military aircraft types into service. This is certified by a Controller Aircraft Release or CA Release which certifies the airworthiness of the type of aircraft...

 on the Air Force Board and in 2003 he was made Director General Equipment Support (Air) and then Director General Logistics (Strike)

Air Member for Supply and Organisation

The Air Member for Supply and Organisation was the senior Royal Air Force officer responsible for procurement matters: he was a member of the Air Force Board...

 at the Defence Logistics Organisation

Defence Logistics Organisation

The Defence Logistics Organisation was a key element of the UK Ministry of Defence, responsible for supporting the armed forces throughout the various stages of an operation or exercise; from training, deployment, in-theatre training and conduct of operations, through to recovery and recuperation...

. He became the last Commander in Chief Personnel and Training Command

RAF Personnel and Training Command

Personnel and Training Command was one of two commands of the Royal Air Force that were merged to form Air Command on 1 April 2007.- Formation :...

 in January 2006 serving until April 2007 when the command was merged into Air Command

RAF Air Command

Air Command is the only Command currently active in the Royal Air Force. It was formed by the merger of Royal Air Force Strike and Personnel and Training Commands on 1 April 2007, and has its headquarters at RAF High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire....

: he then took up the post of Chief of Defence Material (Air)

Air Member for Supply and Organisation

The Air Member for Supply and Organisation was the senior Royal Air Force officer responsible for procurement matters: he was a member of the Air Force Board...

 at Defence Equipment & Support. He retired in May 2009.