Jonathon Band Admiral Sir Jonathon Band , ( born 2 February 1950 ) , from 2006 to 2009 , was the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff , the most senior serving officer in the Royal Navy . Before serving as First Sea Lord he was Commander - in - Chief Fleet . Since becoming First Sea Lord , Band had been a firm advocate of the creation of new ships to meet new threats and maintain the status of the Royal Navy as one of the world ' s leading naval forces . Early life . Born the son of Victor and Muriel Band , Band attended two independent schools : Brambletye School , a preparatory school , in Ashurst Wood , West Sussex , and from the age of thirteen , Haileybury and Imperial Service College . He entered the Royal Navy in 1967 , before undertaking sea training in the Far East . He returned to the UK on an undergraduate programme and studied for three years at the University of Exeter , gaining a BA in 1972 . Early naval career . After graduating from Exeter , Band served in junior officer appointments in HMS " Lewiston " and HMS " Rothesay " . He was confirmed in the rank of sub - lieutenant on 1 September 1971 . In the mid 1970s , he undertook an exchange programme with the United States Navy and served on board the guided missile cruiser , USS " Belknap " , which is now no longer in service . He was promoted to lieutenant on 30 January 1974 . Following warfare training in 1976 and 1977 he served for two years as the principal warfare officer and operations officer on board the frigate HMS " Eskimo " . This appointment included deployments to the West Indies and South Atlantic . From 1979 and 1981 he commanded the minesweeper HMS " Soberton " for nearly two years in the Fishery Protection Squadron around the British coast . Between 1981 and 1983 he also served as flag lieutenant to Commander - in - Chief Fleet , a period where he was involved in the Falklands War . Promoted to the rank of commander on 30 June 1983 , he assumed command of the frigate HMS " Phoebe " . The frigate operated in NATO waters , at the time of the RN ’ s first operational experience with surface ship towed passive sonar . In 1985 he attended the Joint Services Defence College and was soon appointed to the Defence Staff in the Ministry of Defence in the Directorate of Defence Policy . Promoted to captain on 30 June 1988 , he left the Directorate of Policy and commanded HMS " Norfolk " . He was also responsible for helping establish the first Type 23 frigate squadron . In 1991 , he became the Assistant Director Navy Plans and Programmes in the Ministry of Defence , a period that saw the implementation of the “ Options for Change ” Review . In 1994 he was a member of the Defence Costs Study ( Front Line First ) Secretariat . He was appointed Aide - de - Camp to the Queen on 9 April 1995 . His last sea command was that of HMS " Illustrious " , the aircraft carrier , between 1995 and 1997 . The period included two operational deployments to the Adriatic in which he and " Illustrious " supported the intervention of the U . S . , the United Nations , and NATO operations in Bosnia . In May 1997 he was elevated to flag rank and promoted to rear admiral . He returned to the Ministry of Defence as Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff . This appointment included the period of the Strategic Defence Review , in which he was heavily involved in the Royal Navy ' s contributions to the review . He left this appointment in December 1999 and assumed the position of team leader of the Defence Education and Training Study in January 2000 with the rank of vice admiral . Commander - in - Chief Fleet . After a tour as Deputy Commander - in - Chief Fleet from May 2001 , Band was promoted to full admiral and served as Commander - in - Chief Fleet , responsible for the preparation and operation of the ships , submarines and aircraft of the Royal Navy based at Northwood between August 2002 and November 2005 . In that post he was involved in the planning of the Iraq War and also had a NATO command as Commander Allied Maritime Component Command , Northwood . He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 2002 New Year Honours . In 2003 he spoke out for the crew of the HMS " Turbulent " , for their efforts on achieving the longest deployment time of a submarine . " Turbulent " was away for more than ten months and he stated " " They are a huge credit . The submarine has done the equivalent of going twice around the world , " " . In March 2004 he spent several weeks touring naval facilities and ships in the Caribbean , including Antigua . In the Trafalgar 200 celebrations , celebrating the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 , Band attended the ceremonies and the fleet review in the UK . In an interview , he stated : First Sea Lord . In February 2006 Band took over the positions of First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff from Admiral Sir Alan West and in a press statement set out the Navy ' s priorities in the 21st century . Upon taking up the post of First Sea Lord he became the professional head of the Royal Navy . Band is a proponent for the Sustained surface combatant capability and the creation of new ships to maintain the Royal Navy as one of the world ' s leading navies . These include the new Type 45 destroyer and the Royal Navy CVF programme , designed to replace the UK ' s current aircraft carriers . In June 2006 he went on a fact finding and diplomatic mission to Pakistan where he met the head of the Pakistan Air Force , the head of the Pakistan Navy and the Army Chief of Staff . On the following day he met with the President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa . In November 2006 he attended a press conference on HMS " Illustrious " , which was moored in the River Thames at Greenwich . He announced that the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War would be commemorated across 8 , 000 miles and four time zones - in London , Pangbourne and the Falkland Islands - from 14 to 17 June 2007 . In February 2007 , at a journalists ' briefing , he warned that the Royal Navy needed another £1 billion to meet future foreign policy demands and appealed to the Government for additional funding , a third of the navy ' s annual operating budget , to spend on building more modern ships . In a later interview with the " Daily Telegraph " he said that an increase of more than 30 per cent in the fleet ' s day - to - day budget was necessary to pay for better sailors ' wages , the running of ships and improved accommodation . He threatened to resign as head of the navy if the Government failed to agree to pay for two new aircraft carriers - the Royal Navy CVF programme , which it had previously promised . In May 2007 the Government gave the £3 . 9bn go - ahead for the new aircraft carriers . Band said : In 2007 he was awarded an honorary degree in law from the University of Portsmouth . He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 2008 Birthday Honours and succeeded by Mark Stanhope as First Sea Lord on 21 July 2009 . Later professional life . In early 2009 Band became a patron for the International Scott Centenary Expedition 2012 ; their aim is to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Scott ' s race to the South Pole and the subsequent deaths of the polar party on the Ross Ice Shelf . He became a Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire on 27 November 2009 and a non - executive director of the cruise company , Carnival Corporation & plc , in April 2010 . He is also a Younger Brother of Trinity House and a liveryman of the Shipwrights ' Company . Personal life . In 1979 he married Sarah Asbury : they have two daughters and live in Southsea , Portsmouth .