Chris Harper (RAF officer)

Air Marshal Sir Christopher Nigel Harper KBE is a senior Royal Air Force officer, who previously served as the UK Military Representative to NATO and the European Union, having served before that as Deputy Commander Allied Joint Force Command at Brunssum in the Netherlands, and prior to that as Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group in the UK.

Education and personal
Harper was educated at Alleyn's School in Dulwich and King's College London (MA, Defence Studies) and is married with one son. He enjoys flying, shooting, running, riding motorcycles and gastronomy.

Service career
Harper was commissioned in 1976, and then regraded to Pilot Officer the following year after Initial Officer Training, and promoted to Flying Officer in 1978; being posted in 1979 to 41(F) Squadron for his first tour on the SEPECAT Jaguar. He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant in 1982 and Squadron Leader in 1986, serving as a Qualified Weapons Instructor on the Jaguar with 31 and 14 Squadrons before an exchange tour in Canada flying the McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet. Promoted to Wing Commander in 1993, he returned to command 41(F) Squadron between 1994 and 1997, and was actively involved in operations over Bosnia during this period. Having been promoted to Group Captain at the end of this tour, he maintained his connection with the Jaguar force when he returned to RAF Coltishall in 1999 as Station Commander, whilst its aircraft were involved in operations over Iraq, serving until 2001. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2002 New Year Honours List and was Mentioned in Despatches for actions in the Gulf.

Promoted to Air Commodore in 2002, Harper served as Air Commodore Typhoon at No. 1 Group, before becoming Head of Joint Commitments at the Ministry of Defence in 2004, and then, following promotion to Air Vice Marshal in 2005, Chief of Staff Operations at what became Air Command. In 2007 he returned to 1 Group as Air Officer Commanding, following which he was promoted to Air Marshal and appointed Deputy Commander, Allied Joint Force Command, Brunssum in March 2009.

He was appointed UK Military Representative to NATO and the EU in March 2011 and promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in June 2011. He became Director-General of the International Military Staff at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on 24 July 2013.