Clare Walton | |
---|---|
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | Royal Air Force |
Years of service | 1987–present |
Rank | Air Marshal |
Commands held | Defence Medical Group Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court |
Battles/wars | United Nations Protection Force Iraq War |
Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath |
Air Marshal Clare Samantha Walton, CB, is a senior Royal Air Force officer and physician. Since July 2023 she has been Director General of Defence Medical Services.[1]
Walton was commissioned into the Medical Branch of the Royal Air Force (RAF) on 27 March 1987 as a pilot officer:[2] she was being sponsored through her degree by a University Cadetship with the RAF.[3] She graduated from St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical School with Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB, BS) degrees in 1989.[3] After training at Royal Air Force College Cranwell, she was promoted to squadron leader on 1 August 1990.[4] She transferred from a short service commission to a permanent commission on 24 April 1992.[5] She has served a number of posting abroad, including with the United Nations Protection Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in Kuwait as part of Operation Desert Fox, and in Iraq as part of Operation Telic.[3]
From 2011 to 2014, Walton served as commanding officer of Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court.[3][6] She was appointed Air Officer Medical Operations in No. 38 Group RAF on 13 June 2016.[7] She was then Commander of the Defence Medical Group from 2018 to 2020.[8]
From February 2020, she was Director Defence Medical Personnel & Training, based at Defence Medical Services Whittington. In October 2022 it was announced that Walton would succeed as Director General of the Defence Medical Services from July 2023.[1] She was promoted to Air Marshal and took up the position on 3 July 2023.[9]
She was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2022 New Year Honours.[10]