The Freeman Air and Space Institute, King's College London, is delighted to host a Fireside Chat with Air Marshal Allan Marshall, OBE MA - Air & Space Commander (ASC), Royal Air Force.

This event will take place in-person on Tuesday 1 April 2025 in the River Room, King's College London (Strand Campus). Doors will open at 18:15 and the evening will begin at 18:30. From 19:30, a drinks reception will take place for attendees to meet and network.

Dr Sophy Antrobus, Co- Director, Freeman Air and Space Institute, will chair the conversation with Air Marshal Marshall. The discussion will delve into a reflection of the RAF’s operations from the last 12 months, further exploring how the RAF have been navigating these demanding geopolitical times and the impact of air operations both at home and overseas.

The conversation will also consider current affairs, with Air Marshal Marshall sharing his perspective on comparative lessons learnt from the Ukraine conflict, in addition to the ongoing Israel/Iran dynamic within the Middle East.

Following these remarks, there will be an opportunity for audience members to engage in a Q&A session.

Places are limited so reserve your spot today and join us on 1st April (which also marks the RAF's Birthday!).

Disclaimer: For in-person events, we have a policy for overbooking for places given dropout rates on the day, so please ensure you arrive in good time to avoid disappointment on the night.

Chatham House rules apply.

Air Marshal Allan Paul Marshall, Royal Air Force, OBE MA
Allan Marshall was commissioned into the Royal Air Force (RAF) in September 1991. Following completion of a Service sponsored engineering degree at Cambridge University and pilot training, Marshall spent the first ten years of his career flying the Harrier. During this period, he completed several operational tours, including Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan; gained experience of embarked operations on Invincible-class aircraft carriers and undertook instructional, standardisation, and test and evaluation roles within the Harrier Force.

Subsequently, he gained procurement experience as the UK requirements manager for the Joint Strike Fighter programme, before converting to the Intelligence, Surveillance, Targeting and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) role. He served as officer commanding No. V (AC) Squadron (Army Co-operation) Squadron, operating Sentinel and Shadow aircraft on operations in Afghanistan, Libya and Mali.

Two joint roles within the Ministry of Defence followed: Assistant Head Global Commitments and Counter Terrorism within the Operations Directorate and Deputy Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Defence Staff, before he took command of RAF Waddington in March 2016, responsible for Reaper, Rivet Joint, Sentinel, Sentry E-3D, Shadow and Intelligence analysis capabilities.
After completion of the Higher Command and Staff Course, the US Capstone Programme and a research fellowship at Oxford University focusing on strategic intelligence, he returned to the Ministry of Defence in 2018 as Head of Defence Commitments and Crisis within the Security, Policy and Operations area.

In April 2020, he was appointed as Air Officer Commanding Number 1 Group, and in November 2021, he took the post of Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations & Commitments). In March 2024, he commenced duties as the United Kingdom’s Air and Space Commander.

He is married to Air Vice-Marshal Suraya Marshall, and together they have two children.

Dr Sophy Antrobus
Dr Sophy Antrobus researches contemporary air power in the context of the institutional, cultural and organisational barriers to innovation and effectiveness in modern air forces, in particular the Royal Air Force. She joined the Freeman Air and Space Institute from Portsmouth Business School at the University of Portsmouth where she was a Teaching Fellow in Strategic Studies. She completed her PhD at the University of Exeter in 2019. Her thesis researched the early politics of air power and networks in Whitehall in the inter-war years.

Prior to her PhD, Sophy served in the Royal Air Force for twenty years including in Iraq and Afghanistan and a tour with the Royal Navy. She is a Fellow and elected member of the Council of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a Hudson Fellow with the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre and a member of the Royal Air Force Museum Research Advisory Board. researches contemporary air power in the context of the institutional, cultural and organisational barriers to innovation and effectiveness in modern air forces, in particular the Royal Air Force. She joined the Freeman Air and Space Institute from Portsmouth Business School at the University of Portsmouth where she was a Teaching Fellow in Strategic Studies. She completed her PhD at the University of Exeter in 2019. Her thesis researched the early politics of air power and networks in Whitehall in the inter-war years.

Prior to her PhD, Sophy served in the Royal Air Force for twenty years including in Iraq and Afghanistan and a tour with the Royal Navy. She is a Fellow and elected member of the Council of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a Hudson Fellow with the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre and a member of the Royal Air Force Museum Research Advisory Board.

For any ticket enquiries please email fasi@kcl.ac.uk