John York

Grand Marshal John Frederick Albert Windsor-York, 2nd Duke of York and Albany (born 13 March 2630) is a Terran and British military officer who is the current Supreme Allied Commander and High Commander of the Special High Command for the Outer Rim, as well as other high-level staff commands in the Union and Terran Imperial armies. He also serves as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Yorkshire Regiment, a ceremonial reserve brigade whose recruiting area is strictly from the Yorkshire county in Great Britain. He is also the current holder of the title Duke of York and Albany, being the son of the previous duke and cousin of the current King of Great Britain, and as such holds a hereditary seat in the Central Galactic Congress. He is a career Army officer and has served his entire professional life in the military.
== Early life ==
== Military career ==
=== Early service ===
York enlisted in the Terran Imperial Army in April 2646, and after completing Basic Training attended the Military Academy Sandhurst in Berkshire, Earth. He completed his the program in 2650, while attending training courses at the Army Air Assault School and the Armored Warfare School. He graduated with a commission as a 1st Lieutenant, and an appointment to command an tank platoon in the elite 1st Air Cavalry Division. The 1st Air Cavalry was deployed in the Banat province to combat insurrection. By 2653 he was promoted to Captain and then Major, serving in company and battalion leadership and staff positions and earning decorations for bravery in the field.
He was promoted to Colonel in 2659 after his battalion commander was reassigned. He commanded the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment in armoured assaults on rebel ground positions. Records show that he often led tank assaults from the front, in his own personalised heavy tank. His unit secured a major victory in assisting the 12th Guards Cavalry's heavy armour brigades in linking up with artillery and infantry elements. Several worlds on the Banat province were secured during this time.
He attended the Army Staff College in Berlin from 2660 to 2664, alongside fellow cavalry officer Rudolph Lanning. He graduated with a promotion to Brigadier General, temporarily placed in command of the Yorkshire Regiment, a reserve unit. He was quickly reassigned to the 261st Armored Division and promoted to Major General, commanding the formation during conflicts in the Banat until September 2665.
=== Wartime service ===
=== High command ===