Andy was educated in South Wales and went on to read Mechanical Engineering at Southampton University, joining the Royal Navy in 1997 as a Marine Engineering Officer before transferring to the Warfare branch.

Early sea assignments as Navigating Officer in 3 classes of Ship included operational deployments in home waters, the Baltic, Mediterranean and Far East. Andy then trained as
a Principal Warfare Officer and further specialised as an Air Warfare Officer. This period saw deployments to the Caribbean, South Atlantic, Mediterranean, Middle and Far East
including Counter Narcotic Operations and Disaster Relief preparations in response to Cyclone Nargis (Myanmar 2008).

Proceeding ashore in 2009, a period with the Afghanistan Operations Team in the UK’s Joint HQ in Northwood, involved a short spell in the UK Brigade HQ in Lashkar Gah (Helmand) as the Liaison Officer to Commander Task Force Helmand during HERRICK 11. Andy also spent 2 years as the Fleet Operations Officer in the Maritime HQ, Northwood, responsible for delivery of the near term (0-6 months) programme for RN assets. From 2017, a stint in the Capability and Acquisition field as the desk officer for Ships and Sensors in Navy Command HQ, saw him primarily responsible for the Capability requirement of the RN’s Type 31 Frigate. This was followed by a short tour as Assistant Chief of Staff Combined Joint Effects in the Rome HQ of the EU Central Mediterranean Maritime Security Operation SOPHIA.

Andy has enjoyed the privilege of Command: at sea, of a MCM Crew and Type 45 Destroyer; and ashore, of FOST (Ships) and a Joint Inter-Agency Task Force (JIATF) on Op ISOTROPE, the military assistance to small boat migrant crossing operations in the English Channel.

Andy is a graduate of ACSC and RCDS. He lives in Hampshire with his wife Maryla, a fellow Warfare Officer currently on HCSC, and Kato, their Welsh Springer Spaniel.