Peter Wall (British Army officer)

General Sir Peter Anthony Wall, (born 10 July 1955 ) is a senior British Army officer who is currently serving as the Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army.

Wall had previously been the Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces from August 2009 to September 2010. He succeeded General Sir David Richards as Chief of the General Staff in September 2010, the latter going on a month later to be Chief of the Defence Staff.

Early life and education
Wall was born to John Ramsay Wall and Dorothy Margaret Wall (née Waltho). He was educated at Whitgift School and Selwyn College, Cambridge.

Military career
Wall graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in April 1974 with his commission being confirmed in December 1974, with effect from 9 March the same year. After a short period of military duties, Wall studied engineering at Cambridge University, before joining airborne forces and going on to serve with the Royal Engineers in Belize and Rhodesia. Wall was promoted to captain on 9 September 1980 and to major on 30 September 1987. He was appointed Chief of Staff of 5 Airborne Brigade in 1988, before commanding 9 Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers from 1990. Promoted to lieutenant colonel on 30 June 1992, he was appointed Commanding Officer of 32 Engineer Regiment in Germany in 1994 and appointed OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1994. He was deployed to the Former Republic of Yugoslavia in Spring 1996, promoted to colonel on 30 June 1996 and awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in November 1996. He was then promoted to Brigadier on 31 December 1998 with seniority from 30 June 1998 before assuming command of 24 Airmobile Brigade in 1999. He was responsible for converting the formation into 16 Air Assault Brigade later that year.

High command
In 2001, he became Chief of Joint Force Operations at Permanent Joint Headquarters Northwood, and was appointed CBE in the New Year Honours 2002. Wall went on to serve as Chief of Staff of the National Contingent HQ in Qatar, overseeing UK operations in Iraq, from January 2003. In May 2003, Wall assumed the appointment of General Officer Commanding 1st (UK) Armoured Division with the substantive rank of major-general, in which capacity he was responsible for security in Basra in Iraq. In 2005, he became Deputy Chief of Joint Operations at the Permanent Joint Headquarters Northwood and, on 1 August 2007, he was appointed Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments) and promoted to lieutenant-general. Appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2009 Birthday Honours, Wall succeeded General Sir Kevin O'Donoghue as Chief Royal Engineer on 10 May 2009 before taking up the post of Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces and receiving promotion to the substantive rank of general on 17 July 2009. He was also appointed ADC General to the Queen on 30 October 2009.

On 6 January 2010, Wall gave evidence to the Iraq Inquiry in which he claimed that troops were vulnerable in their base at Basra Palace and in May 2010, Wall was listed amongst the top 172 government servants that earn more than the Prime Minister, with a salary of £160-165,000, excluding his non-contributory final salary pension. Then on 29 July 2010, Wall was named as the next Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army. On 15 September 2010 Wall took over the post from General Sir David Richards who became Chief of the Defence Staff in late October 2010.

On 24 June 2011, it was reported that Wall, who had publicly questioned Prime Minister David Cameron's handling the conflict in Afghanistan, would - in a major defence reorganisation that would also affect the other service chiefs - lose his position on the Defence Board, the highest non-ministerial Ministry of Defence committee, which makes decision on all aspect of military policy. The changes took effect on 1 November 2011.

Wall was appointed Colonel Commandant of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in 2002 and Colonel Commandant of the Corps of Royal Engineers in November 2003. This role was taken over by Lieutenant General Sir Mark Mans on 14 September 2013. He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 2013 Birthday Honours.

Awards and decorations




Personal life
In 1980 he married Fiona Anne Simpson; they have two sons. He lists his interests as sports.