Richard Maddison was commissioned into the RAF on 15 December 1988. After being awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service during a tour in Northern Ireland, he became station commander at RAF Odiham and Chinook Force commander in October 2013 and Head of Capability Joint Plans in the Ministry of Defence in July 2016. He became Deputy Commander NATO Air Command Afghanistan, Headquarters Resolute Support in April 2019.