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Nigel Colman (RAF officer)

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Nigel Colman

AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchRoyal Air Force
Years of service1990–2023
RankAir Vice-Marshal
CommandsJoint Helicopter Command
RAF Benson
No. 78 Squadron
Battles / warsNorthern Ireland
Bosnia
Iraq War
War in Afghanistan
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Officer of the Order of the British Empire

Air Vice-Marshal Nigel James Colman CB OBE (born 18 January 1971) is a retired officer of the Royal Air Force who last served as Commander of Joint Helicopter Command from 2020 to 2023.

RAF career

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Colman was commissioned into the Royal Air Force (RAF) on 20 June 1991.[1] As officer commanding No. 78 Squadron he saw action in Iraq and then in Afghanistan.[2] He became station commander at RAF Benson as well as Puma and Merlin force commander in October 2012.[3] He saw the Merlins leave the force in October 2014.[4]

Colman went on to be Deputy Director of Military Support in July 2015, followed by a move to become the Head of Military Strategic Effects at the Ministry of Defence in April 2018 and Commander of Joint Helicopter Command in March 2020.[5] He stepped down from this position in March 2023,[5] and retired from the RAF at his own request in August 2023.[6]

Colman was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours,[7] and Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2024 New Year Honours.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "No. 52672". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 September 1991. p. 14859.
  2. ^ "RAF helicopters return home from Iraq and preparations for Afghanistan begin". Ministry of Defence. 11 August 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  3. ^ "Pilot takes over at RAF station". Oxford Mail. 29 October 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Mighty Merlins leave RAF Benson for a new life with the Royal Navy". Get Reading. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Senior Appointments". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  6. ^ "No. 64188". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 October 2023. p. 19709.
  7. ^ "No. 59647". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2010. p. 6.
  8. ^ "No. 64269". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2023. p. N2.
Military offices
Preceded by Commander Joint Helicopter Command
2020–2023
Succeeded by