Quick Facts
Biography
Lieutenant General Sir John Gordon Lorimer, KCB, DSO, MBE (born 27 November 1962) is a senior British Army officer.
Early life
Lorimer was born in 1962. He was educated at Marlborough College, an independent school in Marlborough, Wiltshire, from 1976 to 1981. He studied Arabic and Islamic Studies at Pembroke College, Cambridge.
Military career
Lorimer was commissioned into the Parachute Regiment on 11 December 1982. He was promoted to lieutenant on 11 December 1984, to captain on 11 December 1988 and to major on 30 September 1994. After serving in Northern Ireland, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 30 June 1999 and to colonel on 30 June 2003. Lorimer was appointed Commander of 12th Mechanized Brigade in June 2005 and was deployed with his brigade to Iraq later that year. Promoted to brigadier on 31 December 2005, he was deployed to Afghanistan as commander of Task Force Helmand in April 2007.
Promoted to major general on 23 November 2010, Lorimer was appointed as the Chief of the Defence Staff's Strategic Communications Officer. He was appointed General Officer Commanding 3rd (UK) Mechanised Division on 6 June 2011. Promoted to lieutenant general on 9 July 2013, he was appointed Deputy Commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Lorimer handed over his responsibilities of Deputy ISAF commander to Lieutenant General Carsten Jacobson in June 2014 and became Chief of Joint Operations in January 2015. He took over as the Defence Senior Advisor to the Middle East in January 2018.
Decorations
Lorimer was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1997 Birthday Honours. He was appointed Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) on 7 March 2008 for service in Afghanistan the previous year. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2016 Birthday Honours. He was granted permission to wear the United States' Legion of Merit, awarded to him "in recognition of meritorious, gallant and distinguished services during coalition operations in Afghanistan", in the April 2017.
