Jonathon Band
Encyclopedia
Admiral
Sir Jonathon Band, GCB
, DL
, ADC
(born 2 February 1950), from 2006 to 2009, was the First Sea Lord
of the United Kingdom, the most senior serving officer in the Royal Navy
. Before serving as First Sea Lord he was Commander-in-Chief Fleet
. Since becoming First Sea Lord, Band had been a firm advocate of the creation of new ships to meet new threats and maintain the status of the Royal Navy as one of the world's leading naval forces.
, a preparatory school
, in Ashurst Wood
, West Sussex
, and from the age of thirteen, Haileybury and Imperial Service College
. At school, Band was a Petty Officer in the Combined Cadet Force
.
He entered the Royal Navy
in 1967, before undertaking sea training in the Far East. He returned to the UK on an undergraduate programme and studied for three years at the University of Exeter
, gaining a BA in 1972.
. In the mid 1970s, he undertook an exchange programme with the United States Navy
and served onboard the guided missile cruiser, USS Belknap, which is now no longer in service. Following warfare training in 1976 and 1977 he served for two years as the Principal Warfare Officer and Operations Officer onboard the Frigate HMS Eskimo
. This appointment included deployments to the West Indies and South Atlantic.
. Promoted to the rank of Commander in 1983, he assumed command of the frigate
HMS Phoebe
. The frigate operated in NATO waters, at the time of the RN’s first operational experience with surface ship towed passive sonar. In 1985 he attended the Joint Services Defence College and was soon appointed to the Defence Staff in the Ministry of Defence
in the Directorate of Defence Policy. Promoted Captain in 1988, he left the Directorate of Policy and commanded HMS Norfolk
. He was also responsible for helping establish the first Type 23 Frigate Squadron.
In 1991, he became the Assistant Director Navy Plans and Programmes in the Ministry of Defence
, a period that saw the implementation of the “Options for Change
” Review. In 1994 he was a member of the Defence Costs Study (Front Line First) Secretariat. His last Sea Command was that of HMS Illustrious
, the aircraft carrier, between 1995 and 1997. The period included two operational deployments to the Adriatic in which he and the Illustrious supported the intervention of the U.S., the United Nations
, and NATO operations in Bosnia
.
In May 1997 he was elevated to Flag rank and promoted to Rear Admiral
. He returned to the Ministry of Defence as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff. This appointment included the period of the Strategic Defence Review
, in which he was heavily involved in the Royal Navy's contributions to the review. He left this appointment in December 1999 and assumed the position of Team Leader of the Defence Education and Training Study in January 2000. In 2000 he was also promoted to Vice Admiral
.
from May 2001, he served as Commander-in-Chief Fleet
, responsible for the preparation and operation of the ships, submarines and aircraft of the Royal Navy based at Northwood
between August 2002 and November 2005. In that post he had a NATO command as Commander Allied Maritime Component Command, Northwood. In 2002, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
(KCB) in the New Year's Honours List.
In 2003 he spoke out for the crew of the HMS Turbulent
, for their efforts on achieving the longest deployment time of a submarine. HMS Turbulent was away for more than ten months and he stated "They are a huge credit. The submarine has done the equivalent of going twice around the world,". In March 2004 he spent several weeks touring naval facilities and ships in the Caribbean
and countries such as Antigua
.
In the Trafalgar 200
celebrations, celebrating the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar
in 1805, Band attended the ceremonies and the fleet review in the UK. In an interview, he stated:
Band also attended a Marines' parade, in honour of Lord Nelson, in October 2006.
and Chief of Naval Staff from Admiral Sir Alan West
and in a press statement set out the Navy's priorities in the 21st century. Upon taking up the post of First Sea Lord
he became the professional head of the Royal Navy
. Band is a proponent for the Sustained Surface Combatant Capability and the creation of new ships to maintain the Royal Navy as one of the world's leading navies. These include the new Type 45 destroyer
and the Royal Navy CVF programme
, designed to replace the UK's current aircraft carriers
. As head of the Royal Navy he led the Royal Navy's official involvement in the planning of the Iraq War.
In June 2006 he went on a fact finding and diplomatic mission to Pakistan
where he met the head of the Pakistan Air Force, the head of the Pakistan Navy and the Army Chief of Staff. On the following day he met with the President of Sri Lanka
Mahinda Rajapaksa
.
In November 2006 he attended a press conference on HMS Illustrious
, which was docked on the River Thames
at Greenwich
. He announced that the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War
would be commemorated across 8,000 miles and four time zones - in London
, Pangbourne
and the Falkland Islands
- from 14 to 17 June 2007. The event was known as Operation Corporate.
In February 2007, at a journalists' briefing, he warned that the Royal Navy needed another £1 billion to meet future foreign policy demands and appealed to the Government for additional funding, a third of the Navy's annual operating budget, to spend on building more modern ships. In a later interview with the Daily Telegraph he said that an increase of more than 30 per cent in the Fleet's day-to-day budget was necessary to pay for better sailors' wages, the running of ships and improved accommodation. He threatened to resign as head of the Navy if the Government failed to agree to pay for two new aircraft carriers - the Royal Navy CVF programme
, it had previously promised.
In May 2007 the government gave the £3.9bn go-ahead for the new aircraft carriers. Admiral Sir Jonathon said
In 2007 he was awarded an honorary degree
of Law from the University of Portsmouth
.
He is also President of the Royal Navy Volunteer Band Association, the Royal Navy Rugby Union
and the Royal Naval and Royal Albert Yacht Club, as well as a Younger Brother of Trinity House
.
On 16 October 2008, the MOD
announced that Mark Stanhope
would succeed Band as First Sea Lord
on 21 July 2009.
He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.
, Portsmouth
.
, asked its shareholders to agree to the appointment of Sir Jonathon to their board as a Non-executive Director, with effect from April 2010.
In early 2009 he accepted and still holds the position of Patron for the International Scott Centenary Expedition 2012
; ISCE2012's aim is to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Scott's race to the South Pole and the subsequent deaths of the Polar Party on the Ross Ice Shelf
.
Admiral (United Kingdom)
Admiral is a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-9, outranked only by the rank Admiral of the Fleet...
Sir Jonathon Band, GCB
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...
, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
, ADC
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
(born 2 February 1950), from 2006 to 2009, was the First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
of the United Kingdom, the most senior serving officer in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. Before serving as First Sea Lord he was Commander-in-Chief Fleet
Commander-in-Chief Fleet
Commander-in-Chief Fleet is the admiral responsible for the operation, resourcing and training of the ships, submarines and aircraft, and personnel, of the British Royal Navy...
. Since becoming First Sea Lord, Band had been a firm advocate of the creation of new ships to meet new threats and maintain the status of the Royal Navy as one of the world's leading naval forces.
Education
Born in 1950, Band spent much of his early childhood abroad. On his return to the UK, Band attended two independent schools: Brambletye SchoolBrambletye School
Brambletye was founded at Sidcup Place, Kent in 1919 and moved to its present glorious location in rolling Sussex countryside on the southern outskirts of East Grinstead in 1933. The large country house, in its own wooded estate of 100 acres, overlooks Ashdown Forest and Weir Wood Reservoir. The...
, a preparatory school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
, in Ashurst Wood
Ashurst Wood
Ashurst Wood is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, within the historic county of Sussex, England. It is to the southeast of East Grinstead, just off the A22 arterial road. The village is in the Mid Sussex district of the county, and has a parish population of...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, and from the age of thirteen, Haileybury and Imperial Service College
Haileybury and Imperial Service College
Haileybury and Imperial Service College, , is a prestigious British independent school founded in 1862. The school is located at Hertford Heath, near Hertford, from central London, on of parkland occupied until 1858 by the East India College...
. At school, Band was a Petty Officer in the Combined Cadet Force
Combined Cadet Force
The Combined Cadet Force is a Ministry of Defence sponsored youth organisation in the United Kingdom. Its aim is to "provide a disciplined organisation in a school so that pupils may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self reliance,...
.
He entered the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in 1967, before undertaking sea training in the Far East. He returned to the UK on an undergraduate programme and studied for three years at the University of Exeter
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a public university in South West England. It belongs to the 1994 Group, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom's smaller research-intensive universities....
, gaining a BA in 1972.
1970s
After graduating from Exeter, he served in junior officer appointments in HMS Lewiston and HMS RothesayHMS Rothesay (F107)
HMS Rothesay was a Rothesay or Type 12I class anti-submarine frigate of the British Royal Navy.-History:In the spring/summer of 1961 HMS Rothesay was in Halifax, Nova Scotia and was intending to make courtesy calls at ports on the eastern seaboard of the USA but was instead diverted to Bermuda...
. In the mid 1970s, he undertook an exchange programme with the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and served onboard the guided missile cruiser, USS Belknap, which is now no longer in service. Following warfare training in 1976 and 1977 he served for two years as the Principal Warfare Officer and Operations Officer onboard the Frigate HMS Eskimo
HMS Eskimo (F119)
HMS Eskimo was a Tribal-class frigate of the Royal Navy, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes. She was launched on 20 March 1960 and commissioned on 21 February 1963....
. This appointment included deployments to the West Indies and South Atlantic.
1980s
In 1980 he commanded the minesweeper HMS Soberton for nearly two years in the Fishery Protection Squadron around the British coast. Between 1981 and 1983 he also served as Flag Lieutenant to Commander-in-Chief Fleet, a period where he was involved in the Falklands WarFalklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
. Promoted to the rank of Commander in 1983, he assumed command of the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
HMS Phoebe
HMS Phoebe (F42)
HMS Phoebe was a Leander-class frigate of the Royal Navy . She was, like the rest of her class, named after a figure of mythology. Built by Vickers on the River Tyne, she was launched on the 19th December 1964 and commissioned on the 15th May 1966.In the year of her commission, Phoebe assisted in...
. The frigate operated in NATO waters, at the time of the RN’s first operational experience with surface ship towed passive sonar. In 1985 he attended the Joint Services Defence College and was soon appointed to the Defence Staff in the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
in the Directorate of Defence Policy. Promoted Captain in 1988, he left the Directorate of Policy and commanded HMS Norfolk
HMS Norfolk (F230)
The sixth HMS Norfolk was laid down in 1985 by Yarrow Shipbuilders. She was launched on the Clyde by Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon in July 1987. She was commissioned on the 1st of June 1990. Norfolk was the 'first of class', as well as being the first of a new generation of 'lean manned'...
. He was also responsible for helping establish the first Type 23 Frigate Squadron.
1990s
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
, a period that saw the implementation of the “Options for Change
Options for Change
Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces in 1990, aimed at cutting defence spending following the end of the Cold War....
” Review. In 1994 he was a member of the Defence Costs Study (Front Line First) Secretariat. His last Sea Command was that of HMS Illustrious
HMS Illustrious (R06)
HMS Illustrious is the second of three Invincible-class light aircraft carriers built for the Royal Navy in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is the fifth warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious, and is affectionately known as "Lusty" to her crew...
, the aircraft carrier, between 1995 and 1997. The period included two operational deployments to the Adriatic in which he and the Illustrious supported the intervention of the U.S., the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, and NATO operations in Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
.
In May 1997 he was elevated to Flag rank and promoted to Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
. He returned to the Ministry of Defence as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff. This appointment included the period of the Strategic Defence Review
Strategic Defence Review
The Strategic Defence Review was a British policy document produced by the Labour Government that came to power in 1997. Then Secretary of State for Defence, George Robertson, set out the initial defence policy of the new government, with a series of key decisions designed to enhance the United...
, in which he was heavily involved in the Royal Navy's contributions to the review. He left this appointment in December 1999 and assumed the position of Team Leader of the Defence Education and Training Study in January 2000. In 2000 he was also promoted to Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
.
Commander-in-Chief Fleet
After a tour as Deputy Commander-in-Chief FleetCommander-in-Chief Fleet
Commander-in-Chief Fleet is the admiral responsible for the operation, resourcing and training of the ships, submarines and aircraft, and personnel, of the British Royal Navy...
from May 2001, he served as Commander-in-Chief Fleet
Commander-in-Chief Fleet
Commander-in-Chief Fleet is the admiral responsible for the operation, resourcing and training of the ships, submarines and aircraft, and personnel, of the British Royal Navy...
, responsible for the preparation and operation of the ships, submarines and aircraft of the Royal Navy based at Northwood
Northwood Headquarters
Northwood Headquarters is a military headquarters facility of the British Armed Forces in Eastbury, Hertfordshire, England, adjacent to the London suburb of Northwood...
between August 2002 and November 2005. In that post he had a NATO command as Commander Allied Maritime Component Command, Northwood. In 2002, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
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...
(KCB) in the New Year's Honours List.
In 2003 he spoke out for the crew of the HMS Turbulent
HMS Turbulent (S87)
HMS Turbulent is a of the Royal Navy built by Vickers Shipbuilding, Barrow-in-Furness.Turbulent is scheduled to be decommissioned at the end of 2011.-Operational history:...
, for their efforts on achieving the longest deployment time of a submarine. HMS Turbulent was away for more than ten months and he stated "They are a huge credit. The submarine has done the equivalent of going twice around the world,". In March 2004 he spent several weeks touring naval facilities and ships in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and countries such as Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
.
In the Trafalgar 200
Trafalgar 200
Trafalgar 200 was a series of events in 2005 held mostly in the United Kingdom to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, where a British fleet led by Admiral Nelson defeated a joint Franco-Spanish fleet during the Napoleonic Wars. During the summer of 2005 there was an...
celebrations, celebrating the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in 1805, Band attended the ceremonies and the fleet review in the UK. In an interview, he stated:
Band also attended a Marines' parade, in honour of Lord Nelson, in October 2006.
First Sea Lord
In February 2006 Band took over the positions of First Sea LordFirst Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
and Chief of Naval Staff from Admiral Sir Alan West
Alan West, Baron West of Spithead
Admiral Alan William John West, Baron West of Spithead GCB DSC PC was, from June 2007 to May 2010, a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the British Home Office with responsibility for Security and a Security Advisor to Prime Minister Gordon Brown...
and in a press statement set out the Navy's priorities in the 21st century. Upon taking up the post of First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
he became the professional head of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. Band is a proponent for the Sustained Surface Combatant Capability and the creation of new ships to maintain the Royal Navy as one of the world's leading navies. These include the new Type 45 destroyer
Type 45 destroyer
The United Kingdom's Type 45 destroyer is an air defence destroyer programme of the Royal Navy which will replace its Type 42 destroyers. The first ship in the class, HMS Daring, was launched on 1 February 2006 and commissioned on 23 July 2009. The ships are now built by BAE Systems Surface Ships...
and the Royal Navy CVF programme
Royal Navy CVF programme
The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers are a two-ship class of aircraft carrier being built for the Royal Navy. HMS Queen Elizabeth is expected to enter service in 2016 and HMS Prince of Wales in 2020. HMS Queen Elizabeth will not be built to a CATOBAR configuration, but the second ship HMS...
, designed to replace the UK's current aircraft carriers
Invincible class aircraft carrier
The Invincible class is a class of light aircraft carrier operated by the British Royal Navy. Three ships were constructed, , and . The vessels were built as aviation-capable anti-submarine warfare platforms to counter the Cold War North Atlantic Soviet submarine threat, and initially embarked...
. As head of the Royal Navy he led the Royal Navy's official involvement in the planning of the Iraq War.
In June 2006 he went on a fact finding and diplomatic mission to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
where he met the head of the Pakistan Air Force, the head of the Pakistan Navy and the Army Chief of Staff. On the following day he met with the President of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Percy Mahendra "Mahinda" Rajapaksa ; ; born November 18, 1945) is the 6th and current President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. A lawyer by profession, Rajapaksa was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970, and served as prime minister from April 6,...
.
In November 2006 he attended a press conference on HMS Illustrious
HMS Illustrious (R06)
HMS Illustrious is the second of three Invincible-class light aircraft carriers built for the Royal Navy in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is the fifth warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious, and is affectionately known as "Lusty" to her crew...
, which was docked on the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
at Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
. He announced that the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
would be commemorated across 8,000 miles and four time zones - in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Pangbourne
Pangbourne
Pangbourne is a large village and civil parish on the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire. Pangbourne is the home of the independent school, Pangbourne College.-Location:...
and the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
- from 14 to 17 June 2007. The event was known as Operation Corporate.
In February 2007, at a journalists' briefing, he warned that the Royal Navy needed another £1 billion to meet future foreign policy demands and appealed to the Government for additional funding, a third of the Navy's annual operating budget, to spend on building more modern ships. In a later interview with the Daily Telegraph he said that an increase of more than 30 per cent in the Fleet's day-to-day budget was necessary to pay for better sailors' wages, the running of ships and improved accommodation. He threatened to resign as head of the Navy if the Government failed to agree to pay for two new aircraft carriers - the Royal Navy CVF programme
Royal Navy CVF programme
The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers are a two-ship class of aircraft carrier being built for the Royal Navy. HMS Queen Elizabeth is expected to enter service in 2016 and HMS Prince of Wales in 2020. HMS Queen Elizabeth will not be built to a CATOBAR configuration, but the second ship HMS...
, it had previously promised.
In May 2007 the government gave the £3.9bn go-ahead for the new aircraft carriers. Admiral Sir Jonathon said
In 2007 he was awarded an honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
of Law from the University of Portsmouth
University of Portsmouth
The University of Portsmouth is a university in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The University was ranked 60th out of 122 in The Sunday Times University Guide...
.
He is also President of the Royal Navy Volunteer Band Association, the Royal Navy Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and the Royal Naval and Royal Albert Yacht Club, as well as a Younger Brother of Trinity House
Trinity House
The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond is the official General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales and other British territorial waters...
.
On 16 October 2008, the MOD
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
announced that Mark Stanhope
Mark Stanhope
Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, GCB, OBE is the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff of the United Kingdom, thus the professional head of the Royal Navy.-Early life:...
would succeed Band as First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
on 21 July 2009.
Styles & Honours
- Mr Jonathon Band (1950-through other ranks-1981)
- Lieutenant Commander Jonathon Band (1981–1983)
- Commander Jonathon Band (1983–1988)
- Captain Jonathon Band (1988–1997)
- Rear Admiral Jonathon Band (1997–2000)
- Vice Admiral Jonathon Band (2000–2002)
- Vice Admiral Sir Jonathon Band KCB (2002–2006)
- Admiral Sir Jonathon Band KCB (2006–2008)
- Admiral Sir Jonathon Band GCB (2008-)
He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.
Personal life
In 1979 he married Sarah Asbury, who is now known as Lady Band. They have two daughters and live in SouthseaSouthsea
Southsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
, Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
.
Later professional life
On 1 February 2010 the global cruise company, Carnival Corporation & plcCarnival Corporation & plc
Carnival Corporation & plc , is a American-British Company, and the world's largest cruise ship operator. It is a dual listed company, with headquarters at Carnival Place in the Miami suburb of Doral, Florida, USA, and at Carnival House in Southampton, England, UK...
, asked its shareholders to agree to the appointment of Sir Jonathon to their board as a Non-executive Director, with effect from April 2010.
In early 2009 he accepted and still holds the position of Patron for the International Scott Centenary Expedition 2012
International Scott Centenary Expedition 2012
The International Scott Centenary Expedition 2012 is an expedition to the last tent site of Captain Robert Falcon Scott to hold a memorial service on the centenary of his death. The patrons of the expedition include Jonathan Band. The expedition will be led by Antony Jinman and Felicity Aston, who...
; ISCE2012's aim is to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Scott's race to the South Pole and the subsequent deaths of the Polar Party on the Ross Ice Shelf
Ross Ice Shelf
The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica . It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than 600 km long, and between 15 and 50 metres high above the water surface...
.