Vice Admiral Andrew Burns

Fleet Commander Royal Navy

Andrew Burns was appointed Fleet Commander in September 2021 and commands all operational arms of the Royal Navy (Surface Flotilla, Submarine Flotilla, Fleet Air Arm, Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary). This includes their generation for task and operational effectiveness. He is the Chief Naval Warfare Officer and the Gender Advocate for the Royal Navy.

Andrew joined the Royal Navy in 1989 as a University Cadet, subsequently graduating in geography from the University of Durham. As a junior officer he qualified as a Bridge Watch-keeping Officer, Fighter Controller and Principal Warfare Officer and saw service on operations across the world in destroyers, a frigate and an aircraft carrier.

He has been privileged to command the mine countermeasures vessel HMS BERKELEY, the frigate HMS SOMERSET and the amphibious assault ship HMS BULWARK. He was appointed OBE in 2015. Promoted to Commodore, he commanded the Amphibious Task Group, which included a period in command of the US Fifth Fleet Combined Task Force 50 as the Principal Warfighting Commander. More recently, he was Commander United Kingdom Strike Force, the Royal Navy’s deployable 2* operational commander, and Rear Admiral Surface Ships, the head of the Surface Flotilla Fighting Arm.

Shore appointments have included: the National Contingent Headquarters for Operation TELIC; the Multinational Force Headquarters (Baghdad); Directorates of Special Forces and Strategic Plans in the Ministry of Defence; Commander Sea Training; Joint Forces Command as the Principal Staff Officer to the Commander; Assistant Chief of Staff Ships in NCHQ; and latterly, Director Develop, responsible for the future design and capability of the Royal Navy. He was appointed CB in 2021.

He has attended the Royal College of Defence Studies as an Associate Member and is a graduate of the Advanced Command and Staff Course (MA in Defence Studies, King’s College London) and the Higher Command and Staff Course. He has been a Visiting Research Fellow at the Changing Character of War Programme, Pembroke College, University of Oxford, he holds an Honorary Doctorate in Science from the University of Plymouth and is a graduate of the US Combined Forces Maritime Component Commanders Course and the UK/US Rising Leaders Course.

Andrew is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Managers, a Younger Brother of Trinity House and a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers and Coach Harness Makers. He is also; a trustee of both the Naval Review and the Devon Wildlife Trust; President of the Royal Navy Rugby Union; President of the Royal Navy Cricket Association; and a Patron of Future Fit Junior Field Gun.