Education
He attended the Royal Air Force Staff College and the Royal College of Defence Studies.
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Joe French
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Air Chief Marshal Sir Joseph Charles French Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Aide-de-Camp, often known as Sir Joe French is a retired senior Royal Air Force officer who was the last Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Royal Air Force Strike Command.
Career
French joined the Royal Air Force in 1967 and qualified as a helicopter pilot, flying Wessex, Puma and Chinook. Postings included Sharjah, Hong Kong and Germany. He was commanding officer of Number.
7 Squadron (Chinook) at Royal Air Force Odiham, where he was later station commander (1989–1991).
Staff postings included aide-de-camp to the Chief of the Defence Staff, and Personal Staff Officer to the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Strike Command. He served on the staff of the Central Trials and Tactics Organisation, and was Head of the Royal Air Force Presentation Team.
French served as Director of Air Force Staff Duties, and as Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Policy), before being appointed Director-General of Intelligence Collection. He was Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI) from 2000, and it was while he was CDI that the controversial September Dossier was drafted which attempted to assess the state of Iraq"s weapons of mass destruction.
In April 2003 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief Personnel and Training Command and Air Member for Personnel. and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Royal Air Force Strike Command in 2006.
French was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1991, and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 2003. Upon his retirement in the spring of 2007, he became President of the Royal Air Force Servicing Commando and Tactical Supply Wing Association.
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Born
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Died
2007 (aged 57)