Complex sentence: Alexander Harley became Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments) in 1995 and Adjutant-General to the Forces in 1997 before he retired in August 2000.
Split into simpler sentences: Alexander Harley became Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments) in 1995. He was appointed Adjutant-General to the Forces in 1997 and retired from the British Army in August 2000.