Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Sir Ian John Cave, , is a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer who was Commander Home Command from June 2021 to September 2023. He now serves as the UK Military Representative to NATO and to the European Union.

Military career

Cave was commissioned into the Queen's Lancashire Regiment on 4 September 1987. He was subsequently transferred to the

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers () was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales's Division, that was founded in 1689, shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated a fusilier regiment and becam ...

on 9 February 1988. Cave served as commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, the

Mercian Regiment The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire, Worcesters and Foresters, and Staffords) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, which is recruited from five of the counties that formed the ancient kingdom of Mercia. Known as 'The Heart of England's Infant ...

and in that capacity saw action in the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

in 2008, for which he was awarded a Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service. He went on to be Commander, Initial Training Group in February 2011, Director of Training, Field Army in February 2014 and Deputy Chief of Staff (Plans), Joint Force Command Naples in July 2015. After that he became Chief of Staff, Field Army in April 2018, and Commander Home Command from June 2021 to September 2023. He became UK Military Representative to NATO and to the European Union in November 2023. Cave has also been Colonel of the Mercian Regiment since 2018, and was Colonel Commandant of the King's Division,

Infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

from December 2021 until December 2022. He was Deputy Colonel Commandant of the

Adjutant General's Corps The Adjutant General's Corps is a corps in the British Army responsible for many of its general administrative services, named for the Adjutant-General to the Forces (now the Commander Home Command). As of 2002, the AGC had a staff of 7,000 peop ...

until October 2024.

Honours

He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2020 New Year Honours. In the 2024 King's Birthday Honours, he was promoted to

Knight Commander Knight Commander (or Dame Commander) is the second most senior grade of seven British orders of chivalry, three of which are dormant (and one of them continues as a German house order). The rank entails admission into knighthood, allowing the rec ...

of the Order of the Bath (KCB).

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cave, Ian Living people British Army lieutenant generals British Army personnel of the Iraq War British Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Mercian Regiment officers Queen's Lancashire Regiment officers Recipients of the Commendation for Valuable Service Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath 20th-century British Army personnel Year of birth missing (living people)