Nick Parker

Not to be confused with Nick Parker (journalist).

General Sir Nick Parker
General Sir Nick Parker
Born	1954
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1973–present
Rank	General
Commands held	2 Bn the Royal Green Jackets 20th Armoured Brigade 2nd Division HQ Northern Ireland Regional Forces UK Contingent Commander, Afghanistan International Security Assistance Force, Afghanistan
Battles/wars	Sierra Leone Iraq War Operation Banner War in Afghanistan
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

General Sir Nicholas Ralph "Nick" Parker, KCB, CBE (born 1954) is a British Army officer, currently the Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces.

As a general officer, Parker served in Northern Ireland as well as in Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan and in staff roles including governor of Edinburgh Castle, commandant of the Joint Services Command and Staff College and Commander of Regional Forces, a role that also gave him the duties of inspector-general of the Territorial Army. Between 2005 and 2006, Parker served as deputy commanding general of Multi-National Force – Iraq, before appointment to General Officer Commanding, Northern Ireland, in which role he had the responsibility of overseeing the withdrawal of troops from the streets of Northern Ireland for the first time on over thirty years.

While on holiday in 2009, Parker and his wife received news that their son, Harry, a captain with The Rifles, had been seriously wounded in Afghanistan. Harry eventually lost both legs as a result of a roadside bomb attack while leading his patrol. Parker later gave interviews about the ordeal the family went through with Harry's injuries, calling the experience "foul". Later the same year, Parker himself deployed to Afghanistan on a twelve-month tour, becoming the commander of the British forces in the country and deputy commander of the International Security Assistance Force, second in command to American General Stanley A. McChrystal. In June 2010, McChrystal was relieved of his command of ISAF by President Barack Obama, leaving Parker as acting commander of ISAF for just over a week until General David Petraeus was confirmed as the new commander.

Early and personal life

Parker attended the independent Sherborne School^{[citation needed]} in north-west Dorset prior to the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Parker has listed Coronation Street and fishing amongst his interests.^[1][2]

Early career

Parker was commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets as a second lieutenant in January 1974.^[3][4] He was promoted to full lieutenant in November 1975,^[5] was Mentioned in Despatches in January 1980 for service in Northern Ireland the previous year,^[6] and promoted captain in May 1980.^[7] He attended the Army Staff Course in 1986^[2] prior to promotion to major in October the same year.^[8]

Promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1991,^[9] he was subsequently appointed commanding officer of the Second Battalion the Royal Green Jackets from 1994-'95^[2] before promotion to colonel in 1996,^[10] having attended the Higher Command and Staff Course at the Staff College, Camberley.^[2] Parker was promoted to brigadier in December 1997, with seniority from 30 June 1997^[11] and given command of 20th Armoured Brigade, which deployed to Bosnia in 1999.^{[12][dead link]}

High command

Parker served as commander of the British task force in Sierra Leone and advisor to the country's president in 2001,^[2] and went on to become General Officer Commanding, 2nd Division in November 2002,^[4] being promoted to major-general on the same date.^[13] As General Officer Commanding 2nd Division, he was also Governor of Edinburgh Castle.^[14]

In 2004 he served as Commandant of the Joint Services Command and Staff College,^[15] before taking over as Deputy Commanding General of the Multi-National Corps, Iraq, holding the position from August 2005 to February 2006.^[2]

Parker was appointed General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland and promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general on 18 July 2006.^[16] In Northern Ireland he was responsible for reducing the UK's troop commitment in the Province and is quoted as saying "that the military had made a significant contribution to security in Northern Ireland that has allowed other people to make the difference through politics, social programmes and economics".^[17] Parker oversaw the closure of the base at Bessbrook, County Armagh, which, he said, "signifies a time when the army stops being part of the security forces and moves into being part of the community."^[18]

Parker was awarded the American Legion of Merit "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services during coalition operations in Afghanistan" in 2007.^[19] In October 2007, he became Commander of Regional Forces at Land Command,^[20] a dual-hatted role as Inspector-General of the Territorial Army in which role he advocated for the TA and the regular Army to be regarded as a single organisation, pointing out that both face identical risks on deployment and saying "the TA soldier brings maturity and a wider understanding of the world - the end result, more so now than ever before, is the one Army and everyone should feel part of the same team".^[21] As Commander, Regional Forces, Parker was responsible for overseeing the £3 billion overhaul of the Army's Royal Engineers' Royal School of Military Engineering in a public-private partnership in September 2008^[22] as well as accepting the Freedom of the City of Bath on behalf of the Rifles in October 2008,^[23] and campaigning for the creation of an Armed Forces Day for the UK, a proposal that was implemented in July 2009.^[24]

ISAF

Parker attending a shura in April 2010 with Afghan National Army Brigadier General Akram Sameh

General David Petraeus presents Parker with the NATO Medal

In September 2009, it was announced that Parker would succeed Royal Marine Lieutenant General Sir Jim Dutton as Deputy Commander of ISAF in Afghanistan.^[25] During his tenure as deputy commander, Parker denied claims that British personnel in Afghanistan were suffering from a lack of equipment and helicopters, saying in an interview "rather than asking for more helicopters - which may be a requirement – we've got to develop tactics that get you out and amongst the people and re-establish ourselves as a force for good in the community" and that he was "absolutely convinced that what Harry [Parker's son] was given was right for what he was doing. However, nothing was ever going to stop his leg getting blown off".^[26] Parker was serving in Afghanistan on Christmas Day 2009 and undertook a tour of British bases in the area to visit troops.^[27]

On 23 June 2010, Parker assumed temporary command of all 140,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan, following the departure of American General Stanley McChrystal.^[1][28] British Prime Minister David Cameron told U.S. President Barack Obama that Parker had assured him that the operation would "not miss a beat" during the transition period.^[29] He held the role until 3 July, General David Petraeus was confirmed as McChrystal's replacement.^[30]

As of 2010, Parker was Honorary Colonel of the Manchester and Salford Universities Officers' Training Corps^[31] and served as Colonel Commandant of 1st Battalion The Royal Green Jackets.^[32] When the Royal Green Jackets were merged with others to form The Rifles, he became Colonel Commandant of the new regiment.^[33]

General

On the 29 July 2010 Parker was named as the next Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces in succession to General Sir Peter Wall.^[34]

Parker took over as Commander-in-Chief Land Forces on 1 October 2010 and was granted the substantive rank of general.^[35] For his service in Afghanistan, General Parker was presented with his NATO ribbon by the overall allied commander in Afghanistan, US General David Petraeus, in addition to this Petraeus also presented General Parker with a US Meritorious Service Medal; furthermore Parker also received the Afghan President's Award from its Minister of Defence.^[36]

Family

Parker is married with two sons, one of whom, Harry, was seriously injured in July 2009 while serving as a captain with 4 Rifles in Afghanistan.^[37] Harry lost both legs after the patrol he was commanding ran over a roadside bomb.^[1] Parker later spoke about the aftermath of the incident, saying "it was pretty bad at that stage: they didn't know if Harry would survive or not. It helped being a soldier because all your training is about remaining as calm and calculating as you can in very difficult circumstances. But it was foul."^[1] Harry was injured shortly before Parker was due to take up the position of deputy commander of the International Security Assistance Force, but Parker took up the post on schedule, later saying in an interview "Harry would be horrified if I didn't go. He'd think I was a wimp".^[26][38]

Awards and appointments

Parker was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2001 in the rank of Brigadier^[39] and appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2009 Birthday Honours in the rank of Lieutenant General.^[40]

References

British Army portal

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Watt, Chris (24 June 2010). "British general takes charge in Afghanistan". Herald Scotland (Newsquest). http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/british-general-takes-charge-in-afghanistan-1.1036857. Retrieved 25 June 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Lieutenant General Sir Nick Parker". NATO International Security Assistance Force. http://www.isaf.nato.int/en/about-isaf/leadership/lieutenant-general-sir-nick-parker.html. Retrieved 25 June 2010. 
3. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 46174. p. 275. 8 January 1974. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
4. ^ ^{a b} Defence Academy
5. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 46734. p. 14211. 11 November 1975. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
6. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 48061. p. 312. 8 January 1980. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
7. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 48194. p. 7631. 27 May 1980. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
8. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 50677. p. 12947. 6 October 1986. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
9. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 52615. p. 11597. 29 July 1991. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
10. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 54453. p. 8911. 2 July 1996. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
11. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 55292. p. 11609. 26 October 1998. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
12. ^ 20th Armoured Brigade list of commanders^{[dead link]}
13. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 56784. p. 15275. 17 December 2002. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
14. ^ London Gazette: no. 56828. p. 927. 24 January 2003. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
15. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 57246. p. 4059. 29 March 2004. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
16. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58046. p. 9768. 18 July 2006. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
17. ^ "Army ending its operation in NI". BBC News (BBC). 31 July 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6923342.stm. Retrieved 24 June 2010. 
18. ^ McHugh, Michael (26 June 2007). "Going home . . . last British troops shut up shop in key base". Irish Independent (Independent News and Media). http://www.independent.ie/national-news/going-home----last-british-troops-shut-up-shop-in-key-base-772991.html. Retrieved 27 June 2010. 
19. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58396. p. 10416. 19 July 2007. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
20. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58444. p. 13136. 11 September 2007. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
21. ^ Rayment, Sean (30 March 2008). "The 'weekend warriors' risking their lives". The Daily Telegraph (Telegraph Media Group). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1583267/The-weekend-warriors-risking-their-lives.html. Retrieved 27 June 2010. 
22. ^ "Army school set for £3bn overhaul". BBC News (BBC). 1 September 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7592425.stm. Retrieved 28 June 2010. 
23. ^ "Rifles in freedom of Bath parade". BBC News (BBC). 4 October 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/7652349.stm. Retrieved 28 June 2010. 
24. ^ "Widespread support for an Armed Forces Day". The Daily Telegraph (Telegraph Media Group). 16 March 2008. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1581814/Widespread-support-for-an-Armed-Forces-Day.html. Retrieved 28 June 2010. 
25. ^ "Amputations for over 50 soldiers". The Guardian (Guardian Media Group). 2 August 2009. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/feedarticle/8638149. Retrieved 28 June 2010. 
26. ^ ^{a b} Drury, Ian (16 November 2009). "Top army chief speaks of agony after his son blasted in Taliban booby-trap". Daily Mail (Associated Newspapers Ltd). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1228060/Top-army-chief-speaks-agony-son-blasted-Taliban-booby-trap.html. Retrieved 28 June 2010. 
27. ^ Gardham, Duncan (25 December 2009). "British forces bringing back children's laughter at Christmas - Telegraph". The Daily Telegraph (Telegraph Media Group). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/6711143/British-forces-bringing-back-childrens-laughter-at-Christmas.html. Retrieved 28 June 2010. 
28. ^ "As it happened: Gen McChrystal controversy". BBC News (BBC). 23 June 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8756334.stm. Retrieved 24 June 2010. 
29. ^ "UK 'committed' to Afghan role despite McChrystal exit". BBC News (BBC). 23 June 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10397280.stm. Retrieved 24 June 2010. 
30. ^ "US Gen Petraeus urges unity to tackle Afghanistan war". BBC News (BBC). 3 July 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/10497749.stm. Retrieved 3 July 2010. 
31. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58081. p. 11755. 29 August 2006. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
32. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 57775. p. 12769. 4 October 2005. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
33. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58238. p. 1640. 1 February 2007. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
34. ^ General Sir Peter Wall named British army's new head
35. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59565. p. 19215. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
36. ^ Lt Gen Sir Nick Parker ends his year as ISAF deputy, MoD News, September 2010
37. ^ "General's son lost leg in Afghanistan explosion". The Daily Telegraph (Telegraph Media Group). 21 July 2009. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/onthefrontline/5876731/Generals-son-lost-leg-in-Afghanistan-explosion.html. Retrieved 24 June 2010. 
38. ^ McNamara, Paul (15 November 2009). ""Helicopters and extra kit will not win this war" says Army chief Lieutenant General Sir Nick Parker". News of the World (News Group Newspapers). http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/598359/Lieutenant-General-Sir-Nick-Parker.html. Retrieved 28 June 2010. 
39. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 56541. p. 4812. 19 April 2002. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
40. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59090. p. 2. 13 June 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2010.

Military offices
Preceded by Robert Gordon	General Officer Commanding the 2nd Division 2002–2004	Succeeded by Euan Loudon
Preceded by John McColl	Commandant of the Joint Services Command and Staff College 2004–2005	Succeeded by Nigel Maddox
Preceded by Sir Redmond Watt	General Officer Commanding the British Army in Northern Ireland 2006–2007	Succeeded by Chris Brown
Preceded by Sir John McColl	Commander Regional Forces 2007–2009	Succeeded by Mark Mans
Preceded by Sir James Dutton, RM	Deputy Commander, ISAF 2009–2010	Succeeded by James Bucknall
Preceded by Sir Peter Wall	Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces 2010–	Succeeded by Incumbent

Persondata
Name	Parker, Sir Nicholas Ralph
Alternative names	Nick Parker
Short description	Army officer
Date of birth	1954
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death