Stephen Dalton Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Gary George Dalton , GCB , ADC ( born 23 April 1954 ) is a retired Royal Air Force Air Officer . As commanding officer of XIII Squadron , he deployed on Operation Jural , the UK contribution to Operation Southern Watch , enforcing the No - Fly Zone over Southern Iraq . He then moved on to high command , serving as Head of Air Operations at the Ministry of Defence during the preparations for and conduct of Operation Telic in Iraq . Most recently he was appointed Chief of the Air Staff , the professional head of the Royal Air Force , in which role he advised the British Government on the deployment of air power during the Libyan conflict . In that capacity he implemented 2 , 700 redundancies , as determined by the Strategic Defence and Security Review . Early life . Dalton was educated at Clarendon Park Junior School and Lancaster School in Leicester , and then the University of Bath , where he studied Aeronautical Engineering . Military career . Dalton was commissioned as a University Cadet on 16 September 1973 , before being regraded as a pilot officer following graduation on 15 July 1976 . Dalton was promoted to flying officer on 15 January 1977 , and then flight lieutenant on 15 October 1977 . He flew the SEPECAT Jaguar on three tours , operating from the UK and Germany in both ground attack and tactical reconnaissance roles . Dalton was promoted to squadron leader on 1 July 1984 , and awarded a Queen ' s Commendation for Valuable Service in the 1987 New Year Honours . Following the Advanced Staff Course , training to fly the Panavia Tornado , and promotion to wing commander on 1 July 1990 , Dalton commanded XIII Squadron . He deployed on Operation Jural , the UK contribution to Operation Southern Watch , enforcing the No - Fly Zone over Southern Iraq . Dalton was promoted to group captain on 1 July 1994 , and in 1997 took command of RAF Coltishall and the RAF ' s Jaguar force . On promotion to air commodore on 1 January 2000 , he was appointed Head of the Eurofighter Typhoon Programme Assurance Group at the Ministry of Defence . Following the Higher Command and Staff Course in 2002 , Dalton was appointed Head of Air Operations , also at the Ministry of Defence . His tenure in this role was dominated by the preparations for and conduct of Operation Telic in Iraq . On promotion to air vice marshal on 14 May 2003 , Dalton was appointed Director Information Superiority . He was also appointed Controller Aircraft in 2004 , retaining this post upon his appointment as Director Typhoon on 2 May 2006 . He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2006 New Year Honours . On 1 May 2007 , Dalton was promoted to air marshal , and appointed Deputy Commander - in - Chief Personnel at Air Command and Air Member for Personnel . In the 2009 Birthday Honours he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath ( KCB ) . He was promoted to Air Chief Marshal and appointed Chief of the Air Staff , and Air Aide - de - Camp to HM The Queen , on 31 July 2009 . Dalton was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath ( GCB ) in the 2012 Birthday Honours . In light of the Libyan conflict , Dalton warned that there " was a heck of a lot to be doing " and that the military was nearing the point of " exhaustion " . The RAF became the first part of the military to bring in the cuts when it spelled out its plans for 2 , 700 lay - offs in April 2011 , following the Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2010 , and Dalton admitted that some were likely to be compulsory . On 24 June 2011 " The Daily Telegraph " confirmed that Dalton , in common with the First Sea Lord and the Chief of the General Staff , would lose his position on the Defence Board , the highest non - ministerial Ministry of Defence committee , which makes decisions on all aspect of military policy . He retired in July 2013 . Personal life . Dalton is married with two grown - up children . His interests include sports , theatre and history . He was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Leicester in 2011 and an honorary Doctorate of Science by the University of Bath in 2013 .