Harvey Smyth

Air Chief Marshal Sir Harvey Smyth, is a senior British Royal Air Force officer, who has been Chief of the Air Staff since August 2025.

Previously, he served as Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group (2018–2020), Director Space, in the Ministry of Defence (2020–2022), Air and Space Commander (2022–2024), Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations) (2024–2025).

Early life and education Smyth grew up in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. He was educated at Lurgan College, a non-denominational grammar school in Lurgan, County Armagh. and was a member of the Army Cadets while at school.

RAF career Smyth joined the RAF in 1991, being commissioned as an acting pilot officer on 9 May. His rank was made substantive on 9 May 1992 and advanced to flying officer twelve months later, before he was posted to the Harrier Force in 1995. Smyth served with No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron as weapons instructor from 1999, and was promoted squadron leader on 1 July 2001. As a Harrier pilot, he flew operational missions over Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Smyth was promoted to wing commander on 1 January 2006, and commanded No. 4 Squadron from 1 September 2008 to 31 March 2010.

Smyth was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours, was subsequently advanced to group captain, and appointed the United Kingdom's National Director of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II procurement programme in Washington, D.C.

Air officer

As an air commodore, Smyth was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 2nd (Northern Ireland) Battalion, Army Cadet Force from 1 June 2016, and attended the Higher Command and Staff Course at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in 2017. Following a stint as the Combined Air and Space Operations Centre Director at the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Smyth was promoted air vice-marshal and appointed Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group in July 2018.

Smyth was appointed as the first Director Space in February 2020, and was succeeded in command of No. 1 Group by Air Vice-Marshal Allan Marshall. Reporting on Smyth's new post, Defense News wrote that "up to 25 civilians and military personnel involved in finance, policy and capabilities will support the new space directorate" in the Ministry of Defence's Main Building. He was promoted to air marshal on 26 August 2022, on his appointment as Deputy Commander Operations. In December 2023, it was announced that he would be the next Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations); he succeeded Sir Roland Walker in the role in March 2024.

In July 2025, the Ministry of Defence announced that Smyth be the next Chief of the Air Staff. He was promoted to air chief marshal and took up the post on 29 August 2025, in succession to Sir Richard Knighton, thereby becoming head of the RAF. He was appointed an aide-de-camp (ADC) to the King on the same day.

Honours and decorations

Ribbon Description