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 Robert Andrew Magowan, (born 12 September 1967) is a senior

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

officer who serves as the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Financial and Military Capability) since May 2022. He previously served as

Commandant General Royal Marines Commandant General Royal Marines is the professional head of the Royal Marines. The title has existed since 1943. The role is held by a General (United Kingdom), General who is assisted by a Deputy Commandant General, with the rank of Brigadier ( ...

from 2016 to 2017 and again from 2021 to 2022.

Early life and education

Magowan was educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Faversham and the

University of Southampton The University of Southampton (abbreviated as ''Soton'' in post-nominal letters) is a public university, public research university in Southampton, England. Southampton is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universit ...

Military career

Magowan was commissioned into the Royal Marines in 1989. He became Plans Officer at Headquarters 3rd Mechanised Division in 2001, in which role he was deployed to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

, and then became second-in-command of 42 Commando with which he took part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He joined the Cabinet Office Assessment Staff in 2003, was appointed a

Member 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 2005 New Year Honours, and posted to the Afghan Drugs Inter-departmental Unit in 2005, before becoming commanding officer of 30 Commando Information Exploitation Group in 2006. He commanded IX Battle Group in Afghanistan in 2007. Gen

Magowan became a Deputy Head in Defence Intelligence in 2009 and Chief of Staff to the National Contingent Commander at the headquarters of the

International Security Assistance Force The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 ac ...

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

in 2012, for which he 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 October 2013 Operational Honours. The award recognised "his outstanding contribution in strengthening bonds between British forces and the Afghans". He was appointed Commodore, Naval Personnel Strategy at Navy Command Headquarters in March 2013,

in June 2016, and commander of Operation Atalanta in June as well. Magowan was awarded the United States Commander of the Legion of Merit by General

Robert Neller Robert Blake Neller (born February 9, 1953) is a retired United States Marine Corps General (United States), four-star general who served as the 37th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, Commandant of the Marine Corps from 2015 to 2019. ...

on 10 October 2017. The following month, he was appointed Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Capability) and Controller of the Navy, before becoming Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Capability and Force Design) in December 2018. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2018 Birthday Honours. He became Deputy Commander Joint Forces Command, renamed as Strategic Command in January 2020. Magowan was promoted to lieutenant general on 22 January 2020. In April 2021, he was once more appointed as Commandant General Royal Marines, becoming the first person to hold the position twice, along with being the first person to serve in the position as a lieutenant general since 1996. He became Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Financial and Military Capability) in May 2022. Magowan was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2024 New Year Honours.

Personal life

Magowan is married to Charlotte and together they have two young daughters. He is an accomplished mountaineer, a keen reader of European political history and an amateur cook.

References

, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Magowan, Robert 1967 births Living people People educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Faversham Alumni of the University of Southampton Royal Marines lieutenant generals British mountain climbers Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit 20th-century Royal Marines personnel 21st-century Royal Marines personnel British military personnel of The Troubles (Northern Ireland) Royal Navy personnel of the Iraq War Royal Navy personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)