{{Short description|Royal Marines general}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use British English|date=August 2024}} {{Infobox military person | honorific_prefix = General | name = Sir Gwyn Jenkins | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100|KCB|OBE|ADC}} | image = Commandant General Royal Marines 2022 (cropped).jpg | caption = Jenkins in 2022 | nickname = | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | burial_place = | allegiance = United Kingdom | branch = Royal Marines | service_years = 1990–present | rank = General | service_number = | unit = | commands = First Sea Lord<br/>Commandant General Royal Marines<br/>Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff<br/>3 Commando Brigade<br/>Special Boat Service | battles = The Troubles<br/>International Force East Timor<br/>War in Afghanistan<br/>Iraq War | awards = Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath<br/>Officer of the Order of the British Empire | relations = | other_work = }} General '''Sir Gwyn Jenkins''', KCB, OBE, ADC is a senior Royal Marines officer. He was appointed First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff on 15 May 2025, becoming the first Marine to hold the office.
He served as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff from August 2022 to June 2024. He was concurrently appointed Commandant General Royal Marines in November 2022.
==Early life and education== Jenkins was educated at Malmesbury School.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wiltsglosstandard.co.uk/news/17670447.students-inspired-by-visit-of-major-general-jenkins/ |title=Students inspired by visit of Major General Jenkins |website=Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard |date=29 May 2019 |language=en |access-date=2019-06-12}}</ref>
==Military career==
=== Early career === Jenkins was commissioned into the Royal Marines in 1990. He spent time as a junior officer in the Commando Logistics Regiment and on operations in Northern Ireland with 42 Commando.<ref name=bio/>
In 2004, he graduated from the Military College Shrivenham, where he completed a master's degree in defence studies.<ref name=bio>{{cite web |title=General Gwyn Jenkins CB OBE |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/gwyn-jenkins |website=HM Government |access-date=16 November 2023}}</ref>
He became commanding officer of the Special Boat Service in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Romaniello |first1=Federica |title=New Vice Chief of the Defence Staff appointed |url=https://www.forces.net/news/major-general-gwyn-jenkins-appointed-new-vice-chief-defence-staff |website=Forces Network |access-date=10 September 2023 |language=en |date=27 July 2022}}</ref>
Jenkins was promoted from acting to full colonel on 1 July 2011.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=59860 |date=26 July 2011 |page=14180 |supp=y}}</ref> In 2011, Jenkins received a written report stating that members of the Army's Special Air Service (SAS), soldiers who were not under his command, had conducted extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan. He referred the matter to his superior officer, the Director Special Forces, but failed to report it to military police, instead placing the report in a safe in April 2011.<ref name="ogrady" /> In October 2011, Jenkins deployed to Afghanistan as the commander of all British Special Forces in the country.<ref name="ogrady">{{Cite news |last1=O'Grady |first1=Hannah |last2=Gunter |first2=Joel |date=16 November 2023 |title=Top general locked away evidence of SAS executions |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67418001 |publisher=BBC (Panorama)}}</ref>
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Afghanistan during the period 1 October 2011 to 31 March 2012".<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=60283 |date=28 September 2012 |page=18623 |supp=y }}</ref>
In 2012, Jenkins was appointed military assistant to the prime minister.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.550squadronassociation.org.uk/images/Reunion-2014/SamLipfriend-DowningStreetLetter.pdf |title=Letter to Mr Don Kentish |publisher=550 Squadron Association |date=23 May 2014 |access-date=9 March 2019}}</ref> On 1 July 2015, he was promoted from acting to full brigadier.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=61339 |date=1 September 2015 |page=16198 |supp=y }}</ref> He went on to become Deputy National Security Adviser for Conflict, Stability and Defence in 2016,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/529110/co_staff_and_salary_senior_data_march2016.csv/preview |title=Cabinet Office staff and salary data: senior posts as at 31 March 2016 – GOV.UK |website=www.gov.uk |access-date=2016-10-07}}</ref> commander 3 Commando Brigade in 2017,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Senior%20Royal%20Navy%20Appointments%201865-.pdf |title=Senior Royal Navy Appointments (since 1865)}} Updated as required.</ref> and Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Policy) in 2019.<ref name=bio/> From 2021 to 2022, he served as Director Special Forces.<ref name=crimes>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3q5xl9wqwo |title=Top UK Special Forces general oversaw blocking of Afghan 'war-crime' witnesses to Britain |last1=O'Grady |first1=Hannah |last2=Gunter |first2=Joel |last3=Tinman |first3=Rory |date=2025-05-12}}</ref> Jenkins was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2021 New Year Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=63218 |date=31 December 2020 |page=N2 |supp=y}}</ref>
===As a general=== thumb|right|Jenkins inspecting his first parade as Commandant General Royal Marines in November 2022 Jenkins was promoted to general on 30 August 2022, skipping the rank of lieutenant general,<ref name="LG 63818">{{London Gazette |issue=63818 |date=20 September 2022 |page=17754 |supp=y}}</ref> and took up the post of Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-general-gwyn-jenkins-appointed-new-vice-chief-of-the-defence-staff |title=Major General Gwyn Jenkins appointed new Vice Chief of the Defence Staff |publisher=Ministry of Defence |date=27 July 2022 |access-date=27 July 2022}}</ref> He is the first Royal Marine full general since 2016, after Sir Gordon Messenger, and the second since 1977. At the same time he was made an aide-de-camp to Queen Elizabeth II.<ref name="LG 63818" /> Jenkins also became Commandant General Royal Marines on 25 November, succeeding Lieutenant General Sir Robert Magowan. Jenkins became the first full general to serve as Commandant General since the 1970s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forces.net/services/royal-marines/major-general-gwyn-jenkins-named-new-commandant-general |title=Royal Marines appoint new Commandant General |date=25 November 2022 |publisher=forces.net |access-date=27 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=63889 |date=29 November 2022 |page=22839 |supp= y}}</ref>
On 23 April 2024, the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, announced that Jenkins would become the United Kingdom's next National Security Adviser.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://uk.news.yahoo.com/britain-names-gwyn-jenkins-national-120614353.html|title=Britain names Gwyn Jenkins as national security adviser |last1=Ravikumar |first1=Sachin |date=23 April 2024 |publisher=Reuters}}</ref> However, on 26 August 2024, ''The Guardian'' reported that the appointment had been cancelled by new prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/aug/26/starmer-cancels-appointmen-gwyn-jenkins-new-national-security-adviser |first=Kiran |last=Stacey|title=Starmer cancels appointment of Gwyn Jenkins as national security adviser |date=26 August 2024 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> Jenkins was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 2025 New Year Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=64607 |date=30 December 2024 |page=N2 |supp=y}}</ref>
In May 2025, an investigation carried out by the BBC's ''Panorama'' revealed that a Special Forces officer appointed by Jenkins personally rejected 1,585 UK resettlement applications from Afghan army personnel who had served with the SAS.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cev40r9yve4o |work=BBC News |title=Special Forces officer blocked 1,585 Afghans from UK |first1=Joel |last1=Gunter |first2=Hannah |last2=O'Grady |date=23 May 2025 |access-date=23 May 2025}}</ref> It was claimed that the officer instructed civil service caseworkers to reject the applications on spurious grounds. This was controversial because in the UK they could have been called as witnesses to the public inquiry into the extrajudicial killings, but the inquiry has no power to compel testimony from foreign nationals who are overseas.<ref name=crimes/>
In May 2025, Jenkins was appointed First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff. He is the first Royal Marine to hold this role.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/general-sir-gwyn-jenkins-kcb-obe-rm-has-been-appointed-as-first-sea-lord-and-chief-of-the-naval-staff-and-aide-de-camp-to-his-majesty |title=General Sir Gwyn Jenkins KCB OBE RM has been appointed as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, and Aide-de-Camp to His Majesty |publisher=Ministry of Defence |date=15 May 2025 |access-date=15 May 2025}}</ref>
In July 2025, ''The Daily Telegraph'' reported that Jenkins "was at the heart of a national security incident" when a Royal Marine under his command made an accidental data breach in February 2022 revealing details of 25,000 Afghans who had applied to be resettled in Britain, which led to the Afghan Response Route classified immigration programme intended to relocate affected Afghans. ''The Daily Telegraph'' reported that "Downing Street blocked news reports" about this coming out, and cancelled his already announced appointment as National Security Adviser to the prime minister, and instead promoted him to First Sea Lord.<ref name=telegraph-20250716>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07/16/navy-chief-role-afghan-leak-covered-up-gen-gwyn-jenkins-uk/ |title=Navy chief's role in Afghan leak was covered up |last=Diver |first=Tony |website=The Telegraph |location=London |url-access=subscription |date=16 July 2025 |access-date=17 July 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} {{s-bef|before=Nick Hine}} {{s-ttl|title=Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Policy)|years=2019–2020}} {{s-aft|after=Iain Lower}} |- {{s-bef|before=Sir Roland Walker}} {{s-ttl|title=Director Special Forces|years=2021–2022}} {{s-aft|after=Nick Perry}} |- {{s-bef|before=Sir Tim Fraser}} {{s-ttl|title=Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff|years=2022–2024}} {{s-aft|after=Dame Sharon Nesmith}} |- {{s-bef|before=Sir Robert Magowan}} {{s-ttl|title=Commandant General Royal Marines|years=2022–present}} {{s-inc}}
|- {{s-bef|before=Sir Ben Key}} {{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff}}|years=2025–present}} {{s-inc}} {{s-end}}
{{Vice Chiefs of Defence Staff|state=collapsed}} {{First Sea Lord|state=collapsed}} {{RM Commandant General|state=collapsed}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Gwyn}} Category:Living people Category:Royal Marines generals Category:20th-century Royal Marines personnel Category:21st-century Royal Marines personnel Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:Royal Navy personnel of the Iraq War Category:Royal Navy personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:British military personnel of the Troubles (Northern Ireland) Category:First Sea Lords and Chiefs of the Naval Staff