Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy GCB CBE DSO ADC BSc(Eng) FRAeS FCGI RAF

Chief of the Air Staff

Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy was born in 1953 and joined the Royal Air Force in 1974 after studying Aeronautical Engineering at Imperial College London.  He has completed two tours flying the Jaguar in the reconnaissance role, a tour as a Qualified Weapons Instructor on the Hawk, and commanded a Tornado GR1A tactical reconnaissance squadron.  He saw active service with No 13 Squadron during the Gulf War and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in the Gulf Honours List.  He graduated from the Royal Air Force Staff College in 1987, and subsequently filled a staff appointment in the Ministry of Defence before moving to be Personal Staff Officer to the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Strike Command.  He was Station Commander Royal Air Force Bruggen in Germany, which at the time was the largest Tornado base in the Royal Air Force, before graduating from the Royal College of Defence Studies in December 1997 and subsequently completing the Higher Command and Staff Course in April 1998.  Air Chief Marshal Torpy was Assistant Chief of Staff J3 (Operations) in the Permanent Joint Headquarters during Operation DESERT FOX in Iraq and Operation ALLIED FORCE, the NATO intervention operation in Kosovo, for which he was made a Commander of the British Empire.  He subsequently spent a short time as Director of Air Operations in the Ministry of Defence before taking over as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations).  He became Air Officer Commanding No 1 Group in March 2001.  During his time at No 1 Group he commanded the British Forces participating in Exercise SAIF SAREEA II and in 2003 was the UK Air Contingent Commander for Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, for which he was awarded the US Legion of Merit for his part in the Coalition operation.  He was Deputy Commander-in-Chief Strike Command for one year from July 2003 before being appointed Chief of Joint Operations at the Permanent Joint Headquarters on 26 July 2004.  Air Chief Marshal Torpy became Chief of the Air Staff on 13 April 2006.  He was made a Knight Commander of the Bath in January 2005 and a Grand Knight Commander in June 2008.  During his flying career Sir Glenn has amassed some 4300 hours of fast-jet flying.

Air Chief Marshal Torpy is married to Christine, and his interests include golf, hill walking, gardening, military history and cabinet making.