Commodore Rachel Singleton MBE

Head of the Defence Artificial Intelligence Centre UK Ministry of Defence

Rachel Singleton joined the Royal Navy in 2002 from the Royal Naval Reserve, following a short career as a software engineer in the telecommunications sector. Her operational experience includes time onboard aircraft carriers ARK ROYAL and ILLUSTRIOUS, two short tours in Afghanistan and a tour as Weapon Engineer Officer of Type 45 destroyer HMS DARING. Her non-operational roles have spanned capability development, IT service management, cyber and Defence Engagement, including a rewarding two years leading on Artificial Intelligence at the British Defence Staff in Washington DC, and a tour as the Head of Digital Development in Navy Headquarters. Rachel is currently serving as Head of the Defence Artificial Intelligence Centre and is responsible for setting the conditions for the widespread, safe and responsible exploitation of Artificial Intelligence within Defence, leading on the appropriate and informed use of AI, ensuring the enablers are in place such as tooling, platforms, skills, data, and assurance frameworks and sponsoring the delivery of both enterprise and specialist capabilities to address Defence problem sets. Alongside her core role, Rachel is privileged to serve as head of the Weapon Engineering (General Service) discipline within the Royal Navy. Rachel is a graduate of Birmingham University where she studied Mathematics and Philosophy and has also undertaken an in-Service MSc in Information Systems at Cranfield University, and the Defence Academy’s Advanced Command and Staff Course alongside the associated MA in Defence Studies from Kings College London. At home Rachel is outnumbered by her husband and two sons and any spare time is spent reading, making music or hiking.