Keith Blount Email and Phone Number

I am NATO’s second in command for all operational matters

I was SACEUR’s Principal Maritime Advisor and responsible for the day to day direction of maritime forces assigned to NATO.

I was the professional head of the Fleet Air Arm and responsible for safe and effective aviation in the Royal Navy. I was also responsible and accountable for the delivery of the Navy’s 5th Generation Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers and champion for the capabilities they will deliver.

I exercised operational control over all Royal Navy ships and aircraft in the Middle East region (i.e. I made sure they were doing the right things in the right place). I also exercised day to day command of the Combined Maritime Forces, a 30 nation coalition conducting counter terrorism and counter piracy in the Gulf, Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea.

I was the senior assistant to General Sir Nicholas Houghton before and during his transition to become Chief of Defence Staff. I was engaged principally in assisting in filtering and prioritising his workload and ensuring his direction and intent was communicated, understood and met across the Department, the Navy, Army, Air Force and Joint Forces Command.

I was responsible for the management and effectiveness of a large multi-national team, responsible for counter piracy in the Horn of Africa maritime area. I was also responsible for the smooth running of COMUKMARFOR's Portsmouth Headquarters. COMUKMARFOR was dual-hatted during this period, running the EU Counter Piracy mission (Operation Atalanta) while overseeing the force generation (training and preparation) and operational capability of Royal Navy Task Groups (groups of ships, rather than individual units) around the world.

I was Captain of the Royal Navy's largest warship - a helicopter carrier - responsible for everything it did. The period included multi-national training off the USA east coast, a deployment to the South Atlantic and Brazil for defence engagement and time spent on the west coast of Africa to assist in training navies and building regional capacity ashore and at sea.

This was a one year operational period, spent initially living and working on the Al Basrah oil terminal in Iraqi territorial waters. In this phase I was responsible for delivering training to Iraqi marines and sailors in the protection of maritime infrastructure while at the same time safeguarding the ABOT and KAAOT oil platforms and with them Iraq's oil wealth. The following period was spent in USS ANZIO as the second in command of a major counter piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.

My focus was the overall balance and affordability of Royal Navy aviation; i.e. to ensure the RN had the right number of helicopters and certain fixed wing aircraft to deliver what the Government directed, as well as ensure that we had enough money to afford it.

As a 'DS', I was responsible for the smooth passage of Advanced Command and Staff Course (ACSC) students through a one year post graduate level period of study, with a Masters programme running in parallel. The ACSC is the course attended at the Commander/Lt Colonel level by future high and very high ranking officers from the UK and around 50 other nations. During the period I completed my own Master of Arts degree in Defence Studies.

This 12 year period saw a major career transition from piloting and commanding aircraft to becoming a ship CO. The early phases involved the award of a bridge watch keeping certificate, a 12 month residential warfare course and graduation as a PWO and, in parallel, sitting over 20 professional examinations to qualify for ship command (the Royal Navy version of the Master Mariners ticket). I also completed 2 appointments in ships (HMS BRILLIANT and HMS SOUTHAMPTON) before selection as CO of HMS ANGLESEY, an Offshore Patrol Vessel conducting fishery protection. This led to a return to the cockpit as the senior pilot and second in command of 820 Naval Air Squadron and then further ship command, of the frigate HMS SOMERSET.

I joined the navy to fly helicopters. I was awarded my 'wings' as a Midshipman and was on my first front line squadron at age 20. I specialised in anti submarine warfare and search and rescue and completed numerous tours of duty before being selected as an instructor. I achieved a high instructor grade (A2) and was also an Instrument Rating Instructor. I flew with the Royal Navy Helicopter Display Team in 1993.