Background
Born the son of Douglas and Jean Pulford, Pulford was educated at Magnus Grammar School in Newark.
Born the son of Douglas and Jean Pulford, Pulford was educated at Magnus Grammar School in Newark.
A helicopter pilot with operational service in Northern Ireland, the Falklands War and Iraq War, Pulford commanded Royal Air Force Odiham and Number. 2 Group, and served as Assistant Chief of Defence Staff Operations before taking up the post of Deputy Commander-in-Chief Personnel at Air Command and Air Member for Personnel in 2010. He became Chief of the Air Staff on 31 July 2013.
Pulford joined the Royal Air Force as an acting pilot officer in January 1977 joining Number.
72 Squadron before spending many of his 5,000 flying hours with Number. 18 Squadron. He was regraded to pilot officer in January 1978 and then promoted to flying officer in January 1979 and flight lieutenant in July 1981, seeing service in the Falklands War with C Flight on board RFA Tidespring, while on exchange service with the Royal Navy in 1982.
He had an exchange tour with the Royal Australian Air Force between 1985 and 1987. Promoted squadron leader in January 1987 and to wing commander in January 1994, he became Officer Commanding Number.
18 Squadron in 1996 and Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Air Staff in 1999.
Promoted to group captain in January 2000, he took the Higher Command and Staff Course at Shrivenham in 2001 before becoming Station Commander at Royal Air Force Odiham in December 2001 and being deployed as Commander Joint Helicopter Force Headquarters (JHFHQ) for Operation Telic in Iraq. Appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queens Birthday Honours 2004, he was made Director Air Resources and Plans at the Ministry of Defence in August 2004 and, after being promoted to air commodore in January 2005, he became Air Officer Commanding Number. 2 Group with the rank of air vice marshal in February 2007.
Pulford then served as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff Operations from September 2008 until his appointment as Deputy Commander-in-Chief Personnel at Air Command and Air Member for Personnel with the rank of air marshal in September 2010.
Pulford was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath) in the 2013 New Year Honours. He was also promoted to air chief marshal on taking up the appointment of Chief of the Air Staff in July 2013, the first helicopter pilot ever to be professional head of the Royal Air Force.
As of 2015, Pulford was paid a salary of between £175,000 and £179,999 by the department, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time. Pulford"s interests include military history, motorcycling, old cars and sailing.
