Gary Waterfall
Air Vice Marshal Gary Martin Waterfall, CBE (born 7 January 1967) is a retired senior Royal Air Force officer and formerly Chief of Staff (Operations) in the Permanent Joint Headquarters. From July 2014 to April 2016, he was Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group.
Gary Waterfall  | |
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![]() Waterfall in 2014  | |
| Born | 7 January 1967 | 
| Allegiance | United Kingdom | 
| Service/ | Royal Air Force | 
| Rank | Air Vice Marshal | 
| Commands held | No. 1 Group (2014–16) RAF Cottesmore (2009–11) No. 41 Squadron RAF (2006–07)  | 
| Battles/wars | Operation Ellamy | 
| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire | 
RAF career
    
Waterfall was previously a Harrier pilot and a member of the Red Arrows display team.[1] He was Officer Commanding No. 41 Squadron RAF from 1 April 2006 to 8 June 2007.
On 15 December 2010, Waterfall led the final 16-ship flypast of the Harrier when they were retired from service. On promotion to air commodore in June 2011, he was deployed to NATO's Combined Air Operations Centre 5 to assume command of the UK air contribution to the liberation of Libya, and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Operational Honours List in March 2012.[2]
From July 2014 to April 2016, he was Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group. In that role, he is also head of the air defence of the United Kingdom.[3] On 28 April 2016, Waterfall handed over the command of No. 1 Group to Gerry Mayhew.[4] Waterfall was then appointed the Chief of Staff (Operations) in the Permanent Joint Headquarters with effect from 16 May 2016.[5] Waterfall retired from the RAF on 31 December 2019.[6]
References
    
- "WATERFALL, Air Vice-Marshal Gary Martin". Who's Who 2015. A & C Black. October 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
 - "Former RAF Cottesmore station commander awarded CBE". Rutland Times. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
 - Dearden, Lizzie (1 November 2014). "RAF Typhoons scrambled to intercept Russian bomber 'approaching the UK'". The Independent. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
 - "Senior Appointments". Raf.mod.uk. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
 - "Royal Air Force". Raf.mod.uk. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
 - "No. 62909". The London Gazette. 4 February 2019. p. 1959.
 
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