Air Marshal Sir Chris Harper joined the Royal Air Force as a pilot in 1976. He flew numerous aircraft such as the Jaguar, the CF-18 and, more recently, the Eurofighter Typhoon. He commanded at all levels of the Royal Air Force including, from 2007 – 2009, as Air Officer Commanding No 1 Group.
Sir Chris held important staff appointments in the UK Ministry of Defence and at the RAF’s Air Command headquarters. His last 7 years in military service saw him working in NATO. He was Deputy Commander of NATO’s Joint Force Command at Brunssum in the Netherlands and, following that, was the UK’s Military Representative to NATO and the EU. His final appointment was as Director General of the International Military Staff in NATO HQ, Brussels.
Sir Chris left the Royal Air Force in 2017 and started a small, independent consultancy company, CH4C Global Ltd. The company specializes in all aspects of international defence and security but with a focus on innovation and the timely adoption of modern, disruptive technology. Sir Chris is a member of the Munich Security Conference’s Innovation Board and chairs its Defence and Security workstream. He still holds a commission and is the Honorary Air Commodore of No 2620 ‘County of Norfolk’ Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. He is President of the Air League and a trustee of the RAF Sport Aircraft charity. Sir Chris is also a Non-Resident Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Council and is the Vice-Chair of the Royal Air Squadron.