The Defence Academy of the United Kingdom provides higher education for personnel in the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

, other government departments and service personnel from other nations. The Director General of the Defence Academy is Air Marshal

Ian Gale Air Marshal Ian David Gale, is a senior officer in the Royal Air Force. He is currently serving as Director-General of Joint Force Development, Strategic Command. Early life and education Gale was educated at Sir Thomas Picton School, a compr ...

, a senior Royal Air Force officer.

Structure

The Defence Academy is headquartered at what used to be the

Royal Military College of Science The Royal Military College of Science (RMCS) was a British postgraduate school, research institution and training provider with origins dating back to 1772. It became part of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in 2009, and ceased to exis ...

site at Shrivenham in southwestern

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primaril ...

, though the present campus also extends into the neighbouring village of Watchfield; it delivers education and training there and in a number of other sites. The majority of training is

postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and ...

with many courses being accredited for the award of civilian qualifications. The formation of the Defence Academy consolidated education and training delivered by a number of different establishments into a single organisational and budgetary structure, intended to improve efficiency, reduce duplication of effort and align delivery to defence requirements. The Defence Academy is also responsible for the maintenance of relationships with the UK academic establishment and with military and naval service educational institutions worldwide. Non technical research is carried out for the development of doctrine and analysis of the international security environment.

Delivery units and locations

Training is delivered by: *

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 ...

(RCDS), Seaford House,

Belgravia Belgravia () is a district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of both the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Belgravia was known as the 'Five Fields' during the Tudor Period, and became a danger ...

, London * Joint Services Command and Staff College (JSCSC), Shrivenham, Oxfordshire *Shrivenham Leadership Centre (SLC), Beckett Hall, Shrivenham *

Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre The Royal Army Chaplains' Department (RAChD) is an all-officer department that provides ordained clergy to minister to the British Army. History The Army Chaplains' Department (AChD) was formed by Royal Warrant of 23 September 1796; until the ...

(AFCC), Amport House,

Amport Amport is a village and civil parish in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England, a few miles west of Andover. It incorporates the small hamlet of East Cholderton and has a population of about 1,200. There is a village green is surroun ...

, Hampshire *Nuclear Department, ,

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan borough on the south coast of Hampshire, South East England. At the 2011 Census, its population was 82,662. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite ...

* Defence Centre of Training Support (DCTS), Shrivenham *Technology School, Shrivenham *Business Skills College, Shrivenham *

Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme The Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme (DTUS) is a university sponsorship programme for students who want to join the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force or Engineering and Science branch of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Civil Service a ...

(DTUS) **

Loughborough University Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for post-nominals) is a public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university since 1966, but it dates back to 1909, when ...

** Aston University **

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick unive ...

Northumbria University , mottoeng = A lifetime of learning , established = 1877 - Rutherford College of Technology1969 - Newcastle Polytechnic1992 - gained university status , type = Public , budget = � ...

University of Southampton , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

University of Portsmouth , mottoeng = Let us follow the Light , established = 1870 (Portsmouth and Gosport School of Science and Art) , type = Public , budget = £282.5 million (2020/21) , chancellor ...

*Defence Technical Officer and Engineer Entry Scheme (DTOEES), (part of DSFC and DTUS) *Defence Engagement School, which comprises the Defence Centre for Languages & Culture, The Defence Attache and Loan Service Centre and the International Section. *Centre of Air Safety Training (Military Aviation Authority) (CoAST)

Former locations

Welbeck Abbey Welbeck Abbey in the Dukeries in North Nottinghamshire was the site of a monastery belonging to the Premonstratensian order in England and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, a country house residence of the Dukes of Portland. It is o ...

, Nottinghamshire (until 2005) * Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College, Leicestershire (2005–2021)

Governance

The Director General of the Defence Academy was, until 2011, a three-star rank ( vice admiral,

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 th ...

, air marshal) which can be filled by any of the three armed services. The Director General of the Defence Academy chairs the Defence Academy Management Board which is composed of the commandants of the constituent delivery units and Chief of Staff, Defence Academy. The

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of Shrivenham Station is a separate post filled by a Royal Air Force Wing Commander. The management board report to a four-star steering board and an advisory board including academic expertise from the private sector and academia. A customer board at two-star level represents the customer community. Academic provision is delivered through partnering agreements with

Cranfield University , mottoeng = After clouds light , established = 1946 - College of Aeronautics 1969 - Cranfield Institute of Technology (gained university status by royal charter) 1993 - Cranfield University (adopted current name) , type = Public research uni ...

and

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. List of Directors General: *2002–2005: Sir Roger Jackling *2005–2008: Lieutenant General Sir

John Kiszely Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant General Sir John Panton Kiszely, (born 2 April 1948) is a retired senior British Army officer who was director general of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom from 2005 to 2008. He is a former ...

, late Scots Guards *2008–2011: Lieutenant General Andrew Graham, late

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

*2011–2014: Peter Watkins *2014–2018: Vice Admiral

Duncan Potts Vice Admiral Duncan Laurence Potts, (born 10 March 1961) is a retired senior Royal Navy officer. He served as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Capability) and Controller of the Navy from 2013 to 2014, and as Director General of the Defence Acad ...

*2018–2021: Air Marshal

Edward Stringer Air Marshal Edward Jackson Stringer, is a senior Royal Air Force officer. Since April 2018 he has served as Director-General of the Defence Academy. He also served as Director-General of Joint Force Development, Strategic Command from April ...

*2021–present: Air Marshal

References

External links

Defence Academy official site
{{authority control Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) Military training establishments of the United Kingdom Education in Oxfordshire Educational institutions established in 2002 1772 establishments in England Military academies of the United Kingdom 2002 establishments in the United Kingdom