COLONEL
BOB STEWART
DSO
The son of
a Regular
Officer, Bob
Stewart was
educated at
Chigwell School
before he
was selected
for officer
training when
he was 17
years old.
In 1969, after
2 years officer
training,
he was commissioned
from the Royal
Military Academy
Sandhurst
as an infantry
officer. Four
years later
he was sent
to University
by the Army
where he read
International
Politics and
Strategy -
obtaining
a first class
degree.
Returning
to full time
Army service
in 1977, he
first became
an intelligence
officer in
Northern Ireland
before being
sent to Sandhurst
as an instructor.
Two years
later he attended
the Army Staff
College at
Camberley
for 15 months
before returning
to Northern
Ireland again
as an infantry
company commander.
On 6 December
1982, as the
incident commander,
he was responsible
for controlling
and responding
to a terrorist
bomb at Ballykelly
in Northern
Ireland. The
bomb killed
17 people
- 6 of them
soldiers from
his own company.
The General
Officer Commanding
Northern Ireland
awarded him
his personal
commendation
for his actions
that day.
Over the
next 7 years
he carried
out a series
of appointments:
in Military
Operations
at the Ministry
of Defence,
as second
in Command
of an Infantry
Battalion,
he attended
the Joint
Service Staff
College (6
months) and
became Military
Assistant
(Lieutenant
Colonel) to
the highest
ranking officer
in NATO where
he was responsible
for writing
the first
speech made
by a NATO
officer to
the Soviet
Ministry of
Defence in
Moscow.
In March
1991 he assumed
command of
1st Battalion
The Cheshire
Regiment.
As commanding
officer, he
carried out
2 operational
tours; to
Northern Ireland
again (his
7th deployment
there) and
as the first
British Commander
under United
Nations command
in Bosnia
from September
1992 - May
1995.
On returning
from Bosnia
he was awarded
the Distinguished
Service Order
by Her Majesty
The Queen
was promoted
to Colonel
and became
Chief of Policy
at Supreme
Headquarters
Allied Powers
Europe for
2 years. During
that time
he wrote a
best selling
book on operating
under United
Nations command
called Broken
Lives.
He left the
British Army
in September
1995 to join
Hill &
Knowlton as
Senior Consultant
in the Public
Affairs and
Corporate
Policy Division.
He is a frequent
commentator
on TV and
radio and
speaks to
differing
audiences
on subjects
such as leadership
in adverse
conditions,
crisis management,
planning a
complex operation,
team building,
peace-keeping,
the military
and politics
and the future
utility of
defence policies
and military
power.
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