My Vision for the Land Environment

Lieutenant General Simon Hamilton commissioned into the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in 1995. Throughout his career, he has served on operations in Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan and on the Staff in the Ministry of Defence, Army Headquarters, an Armoured Brigade Headquarters and within the Defence Equipment and Support agency. He commanded 101 Logistic Brigade, before further honing senior capability and acquisition skills as the Army’s Head Equipment in Army Headquarters, Head Vehicle Support Team in the Defence Equipment and Support agency and then returning to the Army Headquarters as both Director of Support and the Army’s inaugural Director of Programmes. These roles have witnessed him accountable for Support for all in-service equipment and logistic aspects of the Army, delivering the Army’s capability modernisation portfolio, as well as serving as the Senior Responsible Owner for 3 Category A programmes.

Lieutenant General Simon Hamilton was appointed as Director General Land in December 2023 and has responsibility for three operating centres: Land Equipment, Weapons and Helicopters. He manages over 4000 people, with an annual £5Bn equipment spend across a diverse portfolio. His customers are pan-Defence, with an equally diverse industrial base. He is responsible for 57 CAT A programmes, defined as a programme over £400m, across a diverse portfolio. He is the architect of the Land Industrial Strategy and is a strong proponent for a much closer partnership with Industry in the pursuit of delivering a more lethal and modern army and defence. He is a permanent member of both the Defence Equipment and Support Executive Committee and the Executive Committee of the Army Board.

He is a Chartered Engineer, received an OBE on the Operational Honours list in 2009, and a CBE on the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2018.