Air Marshal Clare Walton CB KHP

Director General Defence Medical Services

Air Marshal Walton joined the Royal Air Force on a University Cadetship in 1987 whilst studying medicine at St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School, London, graduating in 1989. She completed General Practice Vocational Training and achieved Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners in 1994. Promoted to Squadron Leader, she served with the United Nations Protection Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1995, followed by completion of the Diploma in Aviation Medicine at the RAF School of Aviation Medicine, winning the Stewart Memorial Prize. She then served as Senior Medical Officer, RAF Benson, during which she deployed to Ali Al Salem Air Base as Senior Medical Officer in support of OPERATION DESERT FOX. There followed a tour at Headquarters Strike Command as SO2 Aeromed in charge of the UK’s Strategic Aeromedical Evacuation Service.

In 2002, on promotion to Wing Commander, she served as Senior Medical Officer to the Tornado Force at RAF Marham. During this time, she deployed to Kuwait on Operation TELIC 1 as SO1 Med Ops/Plans with responsibility for coordinating aeromedical evacuation. Advanced Command and Staff Course at the Joint Services Command and Staff College followed from 2003 to 2004 successfully gaining a Master’s degree in Defence Studies. Following Staff College, she served in the Ministry of Defence as Military Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Health) before returning to clinical practice in 2006 as Senior Medical Officer, RAF Leeming. In 2008, she was posted to Headquarters Air Command as SO1 Primary Health Care, responsible for the delivery of primary health care across the RAF. During this tour she deployed to the Combined Air and Space Operations Centre, US CENTCOM to work as Coalition Validating Flight Surgeon in the Joint Patient Movement Requirements Centre.

In September 2009 she moved, on promotion to Group Captain, to the Ministry of Defence as Assistant Head Health Protection where she was responsible for strategic policy for medical CBRN, Medical Intelligence and wider Medical Force Protection. In September 2011, she was appointed Commanding Officer of the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Headley Court, before selection to attend the Royal College of Defence Studies graduating in July 2014. Following RCDS, she was assigned to HQ Air Command as DACOS Health and Deputy Hd RAFMS responsible for health strategy and policy. On promotion in Jun 2016, she became Air Officer Medical Operations and Commandant of the RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine. She was also appointed Queen’s (now King’s) Honorary Physician in 2016. In 2018, she assumed the role of Commander Joint Hospital Group, in command of 1500 military medical personnel embedded in the NHS. On 24 February 2020, she was promoted to Air Vice Marshal taking up the post of Director Medical Personnel and Training. She was appointed Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath in the 2022 New Year Honours List. In 2023 she was promoted to Air Marshal and became Director General Defence Medical Services on 3 July 2023.

Air Marshal Walton is married to Air Commodore (Retd) Mark Hopkins. She has 2 step-children, Hannah and Sam, who have both now flown from the nest. Her interests include netball (President of RAF Netball), keeping fit, travelling, gardening and collecting antiques.