Edward Adam Butler
Born (1962-02-27) 27 February 1962 (age 62)
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service1984−2008
RankBrigadier
Service number520039
UnitRoyal Green Jackets
Commands held22 Special Air Service
16 Air Assault Brigade
Task Force Helmand
Battles/warsThe Troubles
Bosnian War
Sierra Leone Civil War
War in Afghanistan
AwardsCommander of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Service Order

Brigadier Edward Adam Butler CBE, DSO (born 27 February 1962) is a former British Army officer who commanded Task Force Helmand.

Early life

Butler is the son of Sir Adam Butler MP and a grandson of the Conservative politician "Rab" Butler.[1]

He was educated at Eton College[1] and the University of Exeter.[2]

Military career

In August 1984, Butler was commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets.[3] He was mentioned in dispatches while on active service in Northern Ireland in November 1991[4] and twice received the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service; first for his service in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia in the Autumn of 1997[5] and again for his service in Sierra Leone in summer 2000.[6]

He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his actions in Afghanistan as the commanding officer of 22 Special Air Service during 2001 and 2002.[7][8] He became commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade in 2004, in which role he was deployed as commander of Task Force Helmand in April 2006.[9] He went on to be Chief, Joint Force Operations at Permanent Joint Headquarters in December 2006 before retiring in December 2008, citing family reasons.[10]

After leaving the British Army he became Chief Executive of Corporates for Crisis, a business providing advice for companies operating in difficult places,[11] and then chairman of and latterly adviser to S-RM, an intelligence and risk consulting business.[12] In July 2019 he was interviewed for a BBC Radio Four 'Analysis' programme; it stated he was Head of Risk Analysis (Chief Resilience Officer) at Pool Re.[13][14]

Personal life

Butler is married with two children.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b Gall, Sandy (2013). War Against the Taliban: Why It All Went Wrong in Afghanistan. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 96.
  2. ^ "Profile: Brigadier Ed Butler". The Daily Telegraph. 1 August 2008.
  3. ^ "No. 49904". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 October 1984. p. 14274.
  4. ^ "No. 52705". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 November 1991. p. 16848.
  5. ^ "No. 55120". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 May 1998. p. 5195.
  6. ^ "No. 57588". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 March 2005. p. 3377.
  7. ^ Gall, Sandy (2013). War Against the Taliban: Why It All Went Wrong in Afghanistan. Bloomsbury Paperbacks. ISBN 978-1408822340.
  8. ^ "Ed Butler". London Speaker Bureau. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  9. ^ "UK military 'made wrong calculations' on Afghanistan". BBC. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  10. ^ "Senior Tri-Service and Ministry of Defence appointments" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  11. ^ "Brigadier Ed Butler: My son told me he didn't want a part-time dad". The Daily Telegraph. 2 August 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  12. ^ "Ed Butler". S-RM. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  13. ^ "Analysis - Understanding the risks of terrorism - BBC Sounds". BBC.
  14. ^ "The Team | Pool Reinsurance Company LTD".
  15. ^ "The NS interview: Ed Butler". New Statesman. 13 August 2009.
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