18 December 2020
Mike Utley joined the Royal Navy in 1988 as a Warfare Officer, spending his early years on global operations at sea. Commands at various ranks include a Patrol Boat, two Offshore Patrol Vessels, the Type 23 frigate HMS PORTLAND and the amphibious aircraft carrier HMS ILLUSTRIOUS, during which he was awarded an Operational OBE for service in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan in The Philippines. He commanded NATO’s at sea high readiness Task Group in the Mediterranean then assumed command of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group, driving the operational training programme and integration between HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH and the F35-B. As Commander UK Strike Force, he is the Royal Navy’s deployable 2 operational commander at five days’ notice to command operations. He is a graduate of Advanced and Higher Command and Staff Courses and a member of the Royal College of Defence Studies. Shore appointments have focussed on the MOD, including Deputy Principal Staff Officer to the Chief