NEW COMMANDING OFFICER AT RNAS YEOVILTON

Commodore (Cdre) Niall Griffin MBE has taken the helm at RNAS Yeovilton having started his career on the Air Station 31 years ago!

Cdre Griffin was born in Lincoln in 1970, schooled in Nottingham, and commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1988.  Following Britannia Royal Naval College and a brief spell at sea he joined Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton for the first time in 1989.  He completed flying training in 1991.

A Commando helicopter pilot with over 3000 flying hours, he has flown the majority on operations, and on embarkations in amphibious ships.  In addition to specialising as a helicopter instructor, wider experience includes deployments to the Arctic, desert and jungle.  He has commanded detachments at sea and on operations, 846 Naval Air Squadron, the Joint Helicopter Force and the Commando Helicopter Force.

An alumni of the Advanced Command and Staff Course, Royal College of Defence Studies and Higher Command and Staff Course, appointments at staff have been primarily in the Joint operational arena.  He served in the Joint Helicopter Force as an Operations Officer, as the pilot and ATC Appointer in Portsmouth, in MOD Joint Capability and as Assistant Director Commitments in the Joint Helicopter Command.  Most recently, as Assistant Head Defence Commitments in MOD, he was responsible for providing advice to the Chief of Defence Staff and Ministers on the availability and deployment of all Defence capabilities on global commitments.  He was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2007 for services to capability development in 846 Squadron based RNAS Yeovilton and operations in Iraq.

Commodore Griffin lives in Somerset with his family. He is learning Spanish, enjoys playing golf (badly he says), avidly supports Leicester Tigers, and frequently tests the inverse relationship between age and fitness!