Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

Sir Martin John Connell, (born 18 December 1968) is a senior

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 ...

officer, serving as Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff since 2022.

Naval career

Connell was commissioned into the

in 1987 as a

Lynx A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...

Observer An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment. Observer may also refer to: Fiction * ''Observer'' (novel), a 2023 science fiction novel by Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress * ''Observer'' (video game), a cyberpunk horr ...

. He became a Qualified Observer Instructor (QOI) at

702 Naval Air Squadron 702 Naval Air Squadron (702 NAS), also referred to as 702 Squadron, was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It most recently operated the Westland Lynx, as the Lynx Headquarters and Training Squadr ...

and then a Flight Commander on and , before instructing observers at 815 Naval Air Squadron. He was given command of the offshore patrol vessel in 2003. As the commanding officer of , Connell led maritime operations in support of Operation Telic; his

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

became known for successfully protecting Iraqi offshore oil platforms, anti-piracy actions in the

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and for interdicting a large shipment of illegal drugs. Promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 5 September 2011, Connell took command of the

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

in 2012. He was promoted to Commodore on 10 February 2015, appointed Commander Amphibious Task Group later that year, and then made naval attaché to Washington D.C. in 2016. Connell next served as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Aviation, Amphibious Capability & Carriers) and

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

of the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...

from 2019, and then as Director Force Generation under the

Fleet Commander The Fleet Commander is a senior Royal Navy post, responsible for the operation, resourcing and training of the ships, submarines and aircraft, and personnel, of the Naval Service (United Kingdom), Naval Service. The Vice-Admiral incumbent is requ ...

, Vice Admiral Andrew Burns, being succeeded by Rear Admiral

Steve Moorhouse Rear Admiral Stephen Mark Richard Moorhouse, (born 5 February 1973) is a Royal Navy officer who currently serves as Director of Force Generation at Navy Command. Naval career Moorhouse joined the Royal Navy on 18 September 1991. After qualifyi ...

on 14 January 2022 upon his appointment as

Second Sea Lord The Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (formerly Second Sea Lord) is deputy to the First Sea Lord and the second highest-ranking officer currently to serve in the Royal Navy and is responsible for personnel and naval shore estab ...

in succession to Vice Admiral Sir Nick Hine. As Second Sea Lord, Connell is responsible for delivering the Royal Navy’s future capabilities, including SSN-AUKUS

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

s. Connell is reported to be an advocate for increasing the UK's shipbuilding, surface vehicles and subsurface, crewed and un-crewed, prioritising "offensive strike capability over all else." A graduate of the United States Naval War College, where he took the Naval Command College Course in 2004/05 (being elected International Fellow), Connell completed the

Higher Command and Staff Course The Higher Command and Staff Course is a staff course for senior military officers of the United Kingdom armed forces and allies. It is taught at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. The course is ...

at Shrivenham in 2011, the United States National Defense University CAPSTONE Course in 2017, and UK Pinnacle at 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 2021. Connell 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

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, and a

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 ...

2025 New Year Honours The 2025 New Year Honours are appointments by King Charles III among the 15 Commonwealth realms to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The ...

, and has received the Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal with one clasp. Admitted in 2012 as a

Freeman Freeman, free men, Freeman's or Freemans may refer to: Places United States * Freeman, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Freeman, South Dako ...

of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, Connell is also a Younger Brother of Trinity House.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Connell, Martin 1968 births Living people English people of Irish descent People from Rotherham Military personnel from Yorkshire People educated at Salesian College, Farnborough Fleet Air Arm aviators Royal Navy vice admirals Royal Navy personnel of the Gulf War Royal Navy personnel of the Iraq War Royal Navy personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) 21st-century Royal Navy personnel Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Members of Trinity House