BRITISH ARMY
JONATHAN COLE
TITLE : MAJOR GENERAL , THE ARMY ’ S CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER ( CIO )
Major General Jon Cole is the
British Army ' s Chief Information Officer and the member of the Army Board who leads on information matters in all aspects of the Army ' s business – from barracks to the battlefield . Before this , he was seconded to BT as the inaugural Head of Employee Services IT , transforming the digital workplace for over 100,000 staff . Beforehand , he was the Army ' s Head of Information Services , the Chief Technology Officer .
He was commissioned into the Royal Signals in 1987 . He commanded 2 Signal Regiment and subsequently 11 Signal Brigade . On operations he has led soldiers in Sierra Leone , Iraq and Afghanistan , and served on the staff again in both Iraq and Afghanistan , plus Non Combatant Evacuation Operations of Ivory Coast and Lebanon . A Chartered Engineer with the Institute of Engineering and Technology , he has a BEng ( Hons ) in Electronics , an MSc in Defence Technology , and an MA in International Security and Strategy . He is Colonel of the Regiment , Queen ' s Gurkha Signals , a Trustee of the Gurkha Welfare Trust , and a Colonel Commandant of Royal Signals . He is also Chairman of Army Ice Sports , a Vice President of Royal Signals rugby , and President of Royal Signals cycling and triathlon .
that are sponsored by a state . I would use the Wagner Group as a good example , whereby we ' re pretty clear that there is a strong link to Russia . So it is a blend of both .”
The innovation opportunity The military has always worked closely with carefully selected private companies , with close links between such British heavyweight businesses . However , that vital link between the public and private sector will see those strategic partnerships shift , as smaller businesses are invited to bring innovation to the table .
From nuclear power to satnav , microwave ovens to duct tape – innovations born out of the military environment have found