Admiral Sir George Zambellas KCB DSC

 Commander Allied Maritime Command (Northwood)

 

As the UK’s Commander-in-Chief Fleet, a position he took up in January 2012, George Zambellas has command of all deployable Royal Navy units, including the Royal Marines. He is responsible for providing ships, submarines, aircraft and Royal Marine units ready for operations that the UK Government requires. In his NATO role, as Commander Allied Maritime Command Northwood, he provides Maritime Advice to SHAPE and the Joint Force Commands and is tasked to ensure NATO maritime forces are at required readiness for joint and combined operations as required by the North Atlantic Council.  He is the Operational Commander for Operation Ocean Shield (NATO’s Counter Piracy operation), directly responsible for elements of the Standing NATO Response Force and provides Operational level Command of NATO’s Standing Naval Forces.

 

George Zambellas was educated in Zimbabwe, and at Stowe and Southampton University, graduating in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering.  He joined the Royal Navy in 1980 from the aerospace industry and qualified as a pilot in 1982.  He flew three tours in different helicopter types, serving in carriers and frigates, in numerous NATO exercises.  After staff training in 1990, and a brief spell as a corporate planner, he commanded the mine hunter HMS CATTISTOCK including service in the NATO MCM community.  In 1993, he was posted to Northwood as a Fleet aviation operations officer before promotion in 1995 and command of the frigate HMS ARGYLL for a memorable counter-narcotics deployment.

 

Between 1997 and 1999, he served the UK’s Ministry of Defence, helping to shape the maritime case within the UK Defence Review.  In 1999, as a Captain, he commanded HMS CHATHAM, which included operations in Sierra Leone.  In 2001 George Zambellas attended the UK Higher Command and Staff Course, and then became Deputy Flag Officer Sea Training, responsible for training Royal Navy, NATO and other nation’s warships and auxiliaries.

 

Between 2002 and 2004, as a Commodore, he was Principal Staff Officer to two Chiefs of the Defence Staff. In 2005 he commanded the Royal Navy’s Amphibious Task Group, overseeing the introduction of two new amphibious classes of ships, and the Bowman radio and data system into amphibious operational use. In 2005 he was Chair of the European Amphibious Initiative. He and his staff supported UK Operation HIGHBROW, the evacuation of civilians from the Lebanon, in July 2006.

 

In 2006, as a Rear Admiral, he was appointed as Chief of Staff (Transformation), leading the change programme to design and deliver the UK’s new approach to the generation of maritime capability and support to operations.  In 2007, he was Commander United Kingdom Maritime Force responsible for the UK’s contribution to NATO’s HRF(M) and during this time Commanded the Maritime contribution to the NATO Response Force (NRF).  In October 2008, he was Chief of Staff (Operations) at the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood supporting NATO operations in Afghanistan.

 

In January 2011, as a Vice Admiral, George Zambellas was Deputy Commander-in-Chief Fleet, Chief of Staff to the Navy Command Headquarters, and the Chief Naval Warfare Officer.

Admiral Zambellas was awarded an Knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours in June 2012.

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