join our newsletter
Rear Admiral Bob Tarrant
Rear Admiral Bob Tarrant was born in 1961 and joined the Royal Navy in 1979. During his service at sea he has had naval appointments in both submarines and surface ships and commanded the nuclear powered submarine HMS TALENT from 1997-99 and the Ice Patrol Ship HMS ENDURANCE 2007-08. He has a variety of operational experience from the Falklands Conflict in 1982 on board the destroyer HMS ANTRIM, numerous submarine patrols, two seasons in the Antarctic and periods of defence diplomacy off West Africa.
Ashore he has trained Junior Officers and been on the staff of Commander Submarine Force US Atlantic Fleet. More recently he has focused on the higher management of Defence developing Security Policy and Strategy and creating effective International and Political relationships. After a tour as the Commodore Naval Staff, supporting the First Sea Lord in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, which involved developing the strategy for the future of the Royal Navy, he attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in London.
For the latter half of 2012 he was Commander of Combined Task Force 150, responsible for a multi-national maritime security operation extending from the Red Sea to the Gulf of Oman.
On promotion to Rear Admiral in January 2013 he assumed the role of Operation Commander of the European Union Naval Force Somalia and Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces.
Bob is married to Tracy and they have two children. Beyond professional duties, he focuses on his family.
Operation Commander European Union Naval Force Somalia
The Operation Commander commands the operation from the Operational Headquarters (OHQ) at Northwood, United Kingdom. There he plans and conducts the operation in conjunction with the political and military authorities of the European Union.
Rear Admiral Eric Dupont
Rear Admiral Eric Dupont entered the NavalCollege, Brest in 1978, taking the operations and technical course. On completion of his studies he spent his initial Fleet time aboard “Jeanne d’Arc”, then joining the corvette “Victor Schoelcher” in the Indian Ocean. Volunteering for submarines in 1982, he served in the SSKs “Doris” and then ”Bévéziers” based in Toulon.
Specialising ASW and weapons in 1984, he joined the SSK ”Requin” as Weapons Officer, and then “ Flore”. This was followed by service in the SSBNs “Le Foudroyant” and “L’Inflexible”. In 1989, he joined the SSK Agosta, based in Lorient, as Executive Officer.
After the Command Nuclear Course, he took over as the Executive Officer of the SSN “Rubis” in refit in Toulon. In January 1993, he took command of the SSN “Améthyste”, and then the SSN “Rubis” in March 1994 until March 1996. After these 2 commands, he became a Command Sea Rider for submarines based in the Mediterranean. In 1996, he attended the Joint Staff Course in Paris and on completion became the Deputy Naval Base Commander in Brest. This was followed in December 1997 by another Executive Officer appointment aboard the SSBN “L’Inflexible” then in refit in Brest.
In July 1999, he was appointed Navigating Officer of the nuclear aircraft carrier “Charles de Gaulle” then in build in Brest. He took the ship through sea trials, the setting to work of the flight deck right up to her formal acceptance into operational service. He attended The Maritime Component Command Course held in HMS Dyrad as a foreign student of the UK Commanding Officers Desig Course. He returned to submarines in November 2001. From January 2002 to March 2003, he commanded the SSBN “L’Inflexible” blue crew. On completion of this tour he was appointed Head of Submarines Operations.
Rejoining the MOD in September 2004, he was Director of International Relations (Asia, Pacific and Latin America and the UN). From August 2006 to June 2008, he was Director of Future Developments for the SSBN force at the Naval Headquarters. Between June 2008 and September 2009, he was the Deputy to the Fleet Support and Finance Commander at the Naval HQ, where his main area of concern was operational support.
In September 2009, he was appointed Deputy FOST and Second in Command of the Submarine Service.
In January 2013 he was appointed as Deputy Commander European Union Naval Force Somalia.
He has attended the 41st Higher Armaments Course.
He is married with 5 children and holds the following decorations :
- Officier de la légion d’honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour)
- Officier de l’ordre national du mérite (Officer of the National Order of Merit)
- Médaille d’argent de la défense nationale avec agrafe “sous-marin” (Silver National Defence Medal with submarines citation).
Deputy Operation Commander European Union Naval Force Somalia
The Deputy Operation Commander (DCom) exercises command in absence of the Operation Commander.
Commodore Jorge Novo Palma
Born in Lisboa, Commodore Jorge Novo Palma joined the Navy in 1978 and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1983, after completing midshipman training embarked in frigate Hermenegildo Capelo.
As young officer, he served as watch-keeping officer aboard the sail training ship Sagres (1983-84) and then as executive officer of minesweeper and diving support ship Ribeira Grande (1984-86). After specialising in navigation (1986) he served as navigation and CIC officer onboard frigates Roberto Ivens (1987) and Sacadura Cabral (1988), including one deployment in Standing NATO Force Atlantic (SNFL). During the Yugoslavian crisis he served as operations officer aboard frigate Roberto Ivens, integrated firstly in the WEU TG and after in SNFL (1992). From 1999 to 2002 he embarked in frigate Corte-Real as executive officer (XO) during operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR (COMSNFL embarked).
Commodore Palma commanded at sea the patrol ship Zaire, from 1991 to 1992, performing EEZ and territorial surveillance and fisheries inspection tasks, the sail training ship Vega, a Bermudan sloop assigned to the Naval Academy (1993–96) and frigate Corte-Real (2005- 2007), executing a diplomatic mission to Angola in 2006 and serving as POTG flag-ship. Ashore, he served at the Navigation Division of the Hydrograph Institute (1988-90; 1993-98), as ADC (1990-91) and Military Assistant (2005) to the Chief of Naval Staff, as staff officer at the Navy Personnel Directorate (1998-99) and, at the Navy Staff, as strategic planning officer
(2002-05) and as head of Plans and Policy Division (2007-2009). In 1993, he completed the Junior Naval Staff Course and in 2004 the Naval Staff Course, both at the Portuguese Navy Staff College, as also several Navy training courses related to the preparation to assignments ashore and at sea. Between 2009 and 2010 he completed the Flag Officer Promotion Course at the Military High Studies Institute. From 2010 to 2012, Commodore Palma commanded the Portuguese Navy Task Group (POTG), accumulating, in 2011 and 2012, with the administrative command of the Escorts Squadron – frigates, corvettes and AOR – and with command of the Immediate Reaction Force, Portuguese joint standby force, during which participated in operation Manatim, off West Africa.
Commodore Palma is decorated with the Distinguished Service Medal, Meritorious Military Medal, the Naval Cross Medal, the Exemplar Disciplined Medal, the WEU Medal and the NATO Medal.
Commodore Palma is married, with two sons.
Force Commander European Union Naval Force Somalia
The Force Commander is exercising command and control of all military forces in the Operation Area. He is responsible for planning, orchestration and execution of military activities.