Philip Trousdell Lieutenant General Sir Philip Charles Cornwallis Trousdell , KBE , CB ( born 13 August 1948 ) is a retired senior British Army officer who was General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland and Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst . Early life . Trousdell was born on 13 August 1948 in Downpatrick , Northern Ireland . He was educated at Berkhamsted School , Hertfordshire , England . Military career . Trousdell was commissioned into the Royal Irish Rangers on 2 August 1968 as a second lieutenant . He was promoted to lieutenant on 2 February 1970 , Between 1968 and 1974 , he served in the United Kingdom , Gibraltar , Libya , Bahrain , Oman and Northern Ireland . He was promoted to captain on 2 August 1974 . Between 1974 and 1977 , he served as Signals Officer and Adjutant of 2nd Battalion , Royal Irish Rangers . Having attended the Staff College , Camberley , he was promoted to major on 30 September 1980 . He then became an Instructor in the Junior wing of Camberley . He returned to 2nd Battalion , Royal Irish Rangers as a Company Commander . He served as Officer Commanding a company in Berlin , Germany and in Dover , Kent . From 1985 to 1987 , he was posted to the Ministry of Defence as a Military Assistant to the Assistant Chief of the General Staff , then Major - General John MacMillan . He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 31 December 1986 , with seniority from 30 June 1986 . He spent the next two years as a member of the Directing Staff at Camberley . He was Commanding Officer of 1Bn Royal Irish Rangers from February 1989 to August 1991 . He attended the Higher Command and Staff Course , graduating in April 1991 , and was promoted to colonel on 30 June 1991 . From August 1991 to January 1992 , he was based in Northern Ireland , overseeing the amalgamation of the Ulster Defence Regiment and the Royal Irish Rangers into the Royal Irish Regiment . He was promoted to brigadier on 31 December 1991 , with seniority from 30 June 1991 . From January 1992 to November 1993 , he was commanding officer of the 48 Gurkha Brigade in Hong Kong . He was posted to the Ministry of Defence from November 1993 until January 1997 as Director of Public Relations ( Army ) . He was promoted to major - general on 23 April 1997 with seniority from 22 February 1996 . He served as Chief of Staff at Headquarters Land Command from 1997 to 2000 . On 6 March 2000 , he was appointed Deputy Commander of Operations for the Stabilisation Force in Bosnia - Herzegovina . In 2001 he was appointed Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst . On 13 January 2003 , he was promoted to lieutenant - general and appointed General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland . He retired on 10 August 2005 . Later life . Trousdell has been Chairman of the Civil Nuclear Police Authority since 29 September 2011 , having been interim Chairman from 20 May 2011 . He is a Trustee of Help for Heroes . Honours and decorations . Trousdell was appointed Commander of the Order of the Bath ( CB ) in the 2000 Queen ' s Birthday Honours . In the 2004 Queen ' s Birthday Honours , he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire ( KBE ) . He held the honorary position of Colonel of the The Queen ' s Own Gurkha Transport Regiment from 27 October 1993 to 1 July 2003 . He was appointed Deputy Colonel of The Royal Irish Regiment on 1 July 1996 , relinquishing the appointment on 1 July 2001 when he was appointed Colonel of the Regiment . On 1 April 2001 , he was appointed Colonel Commandant of Media Operations Group ( Volunteers ) , and his tenure expired on 1 April 2006 . He was appointed Colonel Commandant of the Brigade of Gurkhas from 1 July 2003 to 1 April 2007 . References .