Senior British Defence officers visit

Two senior British Defence officers will arrive in New Zealand this Wednesday for high level talks with their New Zealand counterparts.

They are Major General Richard Felton, Commander Joint Helicopter Command, and Rear Admiral Clive Johnstone, Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff at Royal Navy.

Major General Felton will meet members of the New Zealand Joint Force Command in Auckland on Wednesday to discuss issues associated with the New Zealand Defence Force study “Future 35”.

The Major General has seen service in a wide range of theatres including Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

He is currently responsible for 30,000 troops and around 30% of the equipment budget for the United Kingdom’s Armed Forces.

After his talks in Auckland he will travel to Tonga to present medals to 110 Tongan troops who have just returned from service in Afghanistan. They were imbedded in the British Armed Forces and provided perimeter security at Camp Bastion.

Major General Felton will also take part in the King’s Parade which will honour eight years of offshore military operations for Tonga in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Solomons.

Rear Admiral Johnstone is leading the British team in the annual navy-to-navy talks. The agenda this year includes shared training opportunities, a discussion on operational doctrines, lessons learned by the respective navies, and development of a strategic plan.

Rear Admiral Johnstone is a senior naval and maritime executive who operates at board level within the Royal Navy and British Chamber of Shipping. His past responsibilities include Flag Officer Sea Training at Royal Navy, Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Defence Staff at the Ministry of Defence, and Captain of HMS Bulwark.

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