Mike Lavender OBE

Mike Lavender spent 37 years in the Royal Air Force. After early tours in areas classic to his branch, and some operational deployments, he undertook increasingly diverse and more strategic roles. He gained an MA in Defence Studies from King’s College London (with a special project on UN peacekeeping) and, from 2006, he worked almost exclusively in the international environment.

In his time working overseas, Mike operated in many countries including the US, Germany, Cyprus, China, Argentina and Uruguay. He developed a large range of experiences, in and out of the military sphere. He was awarded an OBE for his work in Germany and, in this period, had responsibilities in around 10 European countries. In Cyprus, he was responsible for all personnel and families living on the British bases and managed 'decompression', a critical stop off point for those returning from challenging operational deployments.

Mike spent the latter part of his career in the defence engagement and international diplomacy settings. Having learnt Mandarin, he took up the role of Air and Deputy Defence Attaché in China at the outset of China's revolution in military affairs. He managed the first ever visit to China of the RAF's Red Arrows display team and was awarded a personal commendation for his work in the country. 

He returned to the UK to study Latin American Spanish and then moved to Argentina as the Defence Attaché, overseeing UK and Argentine military relationships during a particularly challenging time and over the period of the 40th anniversary of the Falklands Conflict. Finally, having gained ministerial endorsement for his recommendation, he was asked to go to Uruguay as the UK's first ever resident Defence Attaché.