Colonel (Retd) Andy Hadfield

Former Commandant of UK School of Infantry IDS 2023 Conference Chairman

Andy Hadfield has recently retired from the British Army following a 36 year career, his final assignment was as the Commandant School of Infantry based across the UK with a Jungle Warfare Division in Brunei.

Andy joined the Army in 1986, commissioning from Sandhurst in 1989 and being posted to Germany just in time to learn the ropes of armoured warfare in time for the First Gulf War in 1990-1991. He has significant other operational experience: Belize, 4 tours of Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Iraq and two of Afghanistan. He has been in the Infantry throughout his time in the Army but has served in staff appointments and on operations and exercises with other arms, including as a brigade chief of staff, as a trainer of units and organisations, as an operational staff officer in the Ministry of Defence and as the senior career manager for all combat personnel in the British Army.

The School of Infantry was the perfect final assignment for Andy, allowing him to use his experience to adapt training to meet emerging challenges and threats, to ensure standards in the Infantry remained high and to improve the standard of dismounted close combat skills in the wider Army. He was responsible for designing the original syllabus for the training of Ukrainian Infantry in the UK and for the preparation of instructors to deliver the course.

Andy was Mentioned in Dispatches in 2005, received the Bronze Star from the United States of America in 2008 and was awarded a Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in 2010. His passion is sailing, and he developed these skills while serving in the Army.