{{short description|British Army officer (born 1966)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Infobox military person |honorific_prefix = Lieutenant General |name= Stuart Skeates |honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CB|CBE}} |image= Afghan National Security Force senior leaders visit southern California DVIDS494470 (Skeates cropped).jpg |image_size= |alt= |caption= Skeates in 2011 |nickname= |birth_date= {{birth year and age|1966}} |birth_place= |death_date= |death_place= |burial_place= |allegiance= United Kingdom |branch= British Army |service_years= 1989–2023 |rank= Lieutenant General |service_number= |unit= |commands= Standing Joint Force<br/>Royal Military Academy Sandhurst<br/>19th Light Brigade<br/>26th Regiment Royal Artillery |battles= The Troubles<br/>Gulf War<br/>Bosnian War<br/>Iraq War<br/>War in Afghanistan |awards= Companion of the Order of the Bath<br/>Commander of the Order of the British Empire |relations= |other_work= }} Lieutenant General '''Stuart Richard Skeates''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100|sep=,|CB|CBE}} (born 1966) is a retired senior British Army officer. He served as Deputy Commander of JFC Brunssum from December 2018 to December 2021. He also previously served as Commander, Standing Joint Force Headquarters from 2015 to 2018.

==Early life and education== Skeates was born in 1966. He was educated at The Judd School in Tonbridge, King's College London (BA History, 1988; MA Defence Studies, 1999) and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.<ref name=nato>{{cite web|url=https://jfcbs.nato.int/page582591/deputy-commander-jfcbrunssum.aspx|title=Deputy Commander|publisher=Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum|accessdate=15 April 2020}}</ref>

==Military career== Skeates was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1989.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=51524|supp=y|page=12499|date=7 November 1988}}</ref> He served in the Gulf War and in the Bosnian War, took part in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and then served as Military Assistant to the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland in the final years of Operation Banner.<ref name=bio>[http://www.imef.marines.mil/Leaders/tabid/3952/Article/22257/brigadierstuart-skeates.aspx Leaders] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420203808/http://www.imef.marines.mil/Leaders/tabid/3952/Article/22257/brigadierstuart-skeates.aspx |date=20 April 2013 }} US Marine Corps</ref> He became Commanding Officer of 26th Regiment Royal Artillery in Gütersloh, then Deputy Commander of 52nd Brigade (deployed as Task Force Helmand) and then Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff Operations at Permanent Joint Headquarters.<ref name=bio/> He became Commander of 19th Light Brigade in December 2009, and Deputy Commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) in 2011.<ref name=nato/>

Skeates was appointed Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in August 2013.<ref>[http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Army%20Commands%201900-2011.pdf Army Commands] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705211343/http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Army%20Commands%201900-2011.pdf |date=5 July 2015 }}</ref> He was appointed as Commander, Standing Joint Force Headquarters on 24 June 2015.<ref>The Times, 2015, "Senior Military Appointments", The Times, 24 June 2015, p. 55</ref> He was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed as Deputy Commander JFC Brunssum from 4 December 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Generals-Current.pdf|title=Generals November 2018|date=30 November 2018|publisher=gulabin.com}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=62486|supp=y|page=21992|date=4 December 2018}}</ref> From 12 October 2022 he was seconded to the Home Office, tasked with commanding the Manston refugee processing centre and dealing with an increase English Channel migrant crossings.<ref>{{cite Hansard |jurisdiction= United Kingdom |title= Cross-Channel Migrants: Manston Facility |volume= 721 |url= https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2022-10-27/debates/4D7AF554-033A-452F-B059-2E94936B8948/details |house= House of Commons |date= 27 October 2022 |column_start= 401 |column_end= 402 |speaker= Robert Jenrick |position= The Minister for Immigration}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hymas |first1=Charles |title=Afghan war general given new role tackling surge in Albanian migrants crossing the Channel |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/10/25/afghan-war-general-given-new-role-tackling-surge-albanian-migrants/ |access-date=2 November 2022 |work=The Telegraph |date=25 October 2022}}</ref> He was Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery until 1 June 2023,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=64276|date=2 January 2024 |page=26494|supp=y}}</ref> and retired from the army in August 2023.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue= 64214 |date= 31 October 2023 |page= 21847 |supp= y}}</ref>

Skeates was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2022 New Year Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=63571|supp=y|page=N2|date=1 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-military-division-of-the-new-year-honours-2022 |publisher=GOV.UK|title=The Military Division of the New Year Honours 2022|access-date=31 December 2021}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

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{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} {{s-bef|before=Timothy Evans}} {{s-ttl|title=Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst|years=2013–2015}} {{s-aft|after=Paul Nanson}} |- {{s-new}} {{s-ttl|title=GOC Standing Joint Force Headquarters|years=2015–2018}} {{s-aft|after=Rupert Jones}} {{s-end}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Skeates, Stuart}} Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of King's College London Category:Alumni of Cranfield University Category:British Army lieutenant generals Category:British Army personnel of the Iraq War Category:British Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:People educated at The Judd School Category:Royal Artillery officers