Colonel David Joyce

Commandant Royal School of Artillery

Colonel David Joyce currently serves as Commandant of the Royal School of Artillery, a role responsible for all Royal Artillery (RA) training delivery and for cohering RA doctrine. Prior to this appointment, he commanded 47th Regiment Royal Artillery (Watchkeeper and Tekever AR3 Evo). He has extensive command and operational experience across air defence, close support, and remotely piloted air systems (RPAS). Early in his career, he deployed on Op TELIC 1 as a Phoenix UAS Command Post Officer and later with the UN in Cyprus on Op TOSCA. Building on this early experience in uncrewed capability, he has since held key command and staff appointments across the Royal Artillery, including command of 11 (Sphinx) Battery (Rapier FSC) and Second-in-Command of 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery (L118 Light Gun). Operationally, he deployed on Op HERRICK 10 as a Fire Support Team Commander with the Welsh Guards Battlegroup and has extensive experience at both tactical and operational levels of artillery integration. His staff experience includes capability development roles within Defence Equipment & Support as a Requirements Manager for artillery systems, as well as planning roles in Army Headquarters and the Ministry of Defence. A graduate of the Advanced Command and Staff Course, Colonel Joyce brings a broad and contemporary understanding of RA capabilities, with particular expertise in integrating RPAS, fires, and air defence within modern operations.