Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British i ...

Sir Glenn Lester Torpy, (born 27 July 1953) is a retired senior

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

(RAF) commander. He was a fast jet pilot in the late 1970s and 1980s, saw active service during the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

and then went on to higher command. He was the air component commander on Operation Telic (British operations in Iraq) and served as Chief of the Air Staff, the professional head of the RAF, from 2006 to 2009. In that role Torpy hosted the RAF's biggest air display in two decades, and argued for consolidation of all British air power in the hands of the RAF.

Early life

The son of Gordon Torpy and Susan Torpy (née Lindsey),''

Who's Who A Who's Who (or Who Is Who) is a reference work consisting of biographical entries of notable people in a particular field. The oldest and best-known is the annual publication ''Who's Who (UK), Who's Who'', a reference work on contemporary promin ...

2010'', A & C Black, 2010, Torpy obtained a BSc degree in aeronautical engineering from

Imperial College London Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...

Military career

Torpy joined the

as a

pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off or P/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Pilot officer is the lowest ran ...

on 8 September 1974, and spent his early career, after he left the RAF College Cranwell, undertaking flying duties in

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

aircraft before qualifying as a weapons instructor on

Hawk Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and others. This ...

aircraft. He was promoted to

flying officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

on 8 March 1975, with seniority backdated to 8 June 1973, flight lieutenant on 8 December 1975, and

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...

on 1 July 1983. Tornado-JH01

Torpy's early commands included a tour as a squadron leader in

Tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

aircraft before being appointed Officer Commanding No. 13 Squadron in 1989. Having been promoted to wing commander on 1 July 1989, Torpy saw active service during the

with No. 13 Squadron and was subsequently appointed a Companion of the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

. He was made personal staff officer to the Air Officer Commanding

RAF Strike Command The Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom's bomber and fighter aircraft from 1968 until 2007 when it merged with Personnel and Training Command to form the single Air ...

in 1992. Promoted to

group captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

on 1 July 1993, Torpy was appointed station commander at RAF Bruggen, Germany, in 1995. After promotion to

air commodore Air commodore (Air Cdre or Air Cmde) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

on 1 January 1997, he attended the

Royal College of Defence Studies The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest leve ...

in 1997. He was appointed Assistant Chief of Staff (Operations) at

Permanent Joint Headquarters The Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) is the British tri-service headquarters from where all overseas military operations are planned and controlled. It is situated at Northwood Headquarters in Northwood, London. The Permanent Joint Headqua ...

in Northwood in 1998 and director of air operations at the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

in 1999. Torpy was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the 2000 New Year Honours and became Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Operations) at the Ministry of Defence in 2000. From 2001 to 2003 Torpy was Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group, and also served as the air component commander for Operation Telic (British operations in Iraq). He was awarded the Legion of Merit (Degree of Officer) from the United States in "recognition of gallant and distinguished services during coalition operations in Iraq" in 2003. He was promoted to

air vice marshal Air vice-marshal (Air Vce Mshl or AVM) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries which have historical British infl ...

on 1 January 2001, and to air marshal on 18 July 2003. From 2003 to 2004 Torpy was deputy commander-in-chief at

. On 26 July 2004, he was appointed chief of joint operations at the

in Northwood. He was appointed

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

in the

2005 New Year Honours New Year Honours were granted in the United Kingdom and New Zealand at the start of 2005. Among these in the UK were knighthoods awarded to Mike Tomlinson, the educationalist; Derek Wanless, who led a review of the National Health Service; ...

. With promotion to

air chief marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British i ...

on 13 April 2006, Torpy became Chief of the Air Staff and an air aide-de-camp to Her Majesty the Queen on 13 April 2006. He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 2008 Birthday Honours. In July 2008, Torpy hosted the RAF's biggest air display in two decades, as a procession of aircraft flew past the queen to commemorate the service's 90th anniversary. Controversially, in June 2009, he argued for consolidation of all British air power in the hands of the RAF, effectively questioning the future of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

's jet aircraft. Torpy retired from the RAF in July 2009, and became senior military advisor to

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Aerospace industry, aerospace, military technology, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is ...

. He was also Chairman of the Trustees of the RAF Museum and a governor of

Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School Haberdashers' Boys' School (formerly Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School) is a 4–18 boys Independent school (United Kingdom) in Elstree, Hertfordshire, England. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school was ...

Personal life

Torpy married Christine Jackson in 1977. His interests include golf, hill walking, military history and cabinet making.

References

External links

Debrett's – Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy
, - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Torpy, Glenn 1953 births Living people Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies People from Ely, Cambridgeshire Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell Alumni of Imperial College London Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Officers of the Legion of Merit Royal Air Force air marshals Chiefs of the Air Staff (United Kingdom) Fellows of the Royal Aeronautical Society Royal Air Force personnel of the Gulf War Military personnel from Cambridgeshire Royal Air Force personnel of the Iraq War British military leaders of the Iraq War 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel 21st-century Royal Air Force personnel