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Lieutenant General John Cooper: Former senior British Army Officer
Lieutenant General John Cooper joined the King’s Own Scottish Borderers as a private soldier in 1973 and ultimately achieved the rank of Lieutenant General serving in many operational campaigns of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Afghanistan and Iraq:
He is the only man to have been Coalition Deputy Commander in both Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2004 he was the first UK general to be deployed to Kabul to become the Coalition Deputy Commander to the US three-star, Lieutenant General Dave Barno. He subsequently commanded the 1st (United Kingdom) Armoured Division in Germany and Multi-National Division (South East) in Basra in 2006, before deploying to Baghdad in 2008 as General David Petraeus’s deputy.
In these posts Lieutenant General General Cooper commanded large numbers of troops in the two defining counter-insurgency campaigns of the early 21st Century. He planned and delivered the security plan for the 1st Afghan presidential elections in 2004, working with the UN, the Afghan Electoral Commission, partner nations and ISAF. In contrast with the 2009 elections, those of 2004 were declared free and fair. During the period 2004-5, the campaign in Afghanistan enjoyed success with the Taliban insurgency suffering operational level reverses and the coalition broad counter-insurgency campaign making progress.
Troops From 10 Nations:
During Lieutenant General John Cooper’s 2005-06 command of Multi-National Division, South East he had troops from ten contributing nations across the four southern Provinces of Iraq. Each nation had its own aims and objectives within a Coalition construct as well as its own rules of engagement. This meant that missions and tasks had to be balanced against those constraints and a degree of negotiation was involved in several operations.
General Cooper was the subject of world media attention in May 2006 when a Lynx helicopter was shot down over Basra. He gave a series of interviews that calmed the media furore that was generated around the event, thus gaining time for London to brief ministers including the Secretary of State for Defence who had been appointed only the previous day.
In 2008-09, as Deputy Commanding General and Senior British Military Officer in Baghdad John had to manage the impact of the UK’s decision to withdraw from Basra before operational success had been achieved, because of the flawed decision to attempt to expand the Afghan campaign before the Iraqi counter-insurgency was defeated. This fighting a war on two fronts was a strategic error that cost the UK dear and the consequences of which General Cooper had to handle personally in-theatre with our US Allies.
Working with the Pentagon:
Having also been the Chief of the Defence Staff’s Liaison Officer to the Pentagon, General Cooper had more experience than almost any other UK senior officer of having planned, worked and operated with the US military. Having been embedded inside the US Embassies in Kabul and Baghdad he had the very rare experience of witnessing and being part of the US State Department and its interactions with the US military. For example, in Afghanistan General Cooper commanded the operation that supported the removal of an Afghan state governor from post in close cooperation with the Afghan government and US Ambassador.
Lieutenant General John Cooper has extensive experience of briefing and influencing UK ministers. These include the Secretaries of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs and both PMs Blair and Brown in Iraq. In addition, he met the equivalent ministerial office holders of allied nations and was an integral part of negotiations on extending the duration of their mission and troop levels.
JOHN COOPER’S MILITARY CAREER HISTORY:
2008-2009: (Lieutenant General) Deputy Theatre Commander and Senior British Military Officer in Iraq.
2006-08: (Major General) Director General Training Support.
2005-2006: (Major General) General Officer Commanding 1st (UK) Armoured Division.
2004. (Major General). Deputy Commanding General Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan.
1999-2004: (Brigadier) Commander 12th Mechanized Brigade. Chief of Defence Staff’s Liaison Officer to the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon
1973-1999: (Early Service) Commanded 1st Battalion the King’s Own Scottish Borderers (650 troops) on operations in South Armagh and Belfast. Company Command (100 troops) in the 1st Gulf War. Two tours with British Military Training Team, Zimbabwe in 1980 and 1986.
AWARDS:
1990 received an MBE for his services in Northern Ireland.
1995 awarded the DSO, also for operations in Northern Ireland.
2004 awarded the US Bronze Star and in 2009 the US Legion of Merit for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq respectively.
2009 Birthday Honours, John was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB)
