Major General Matt Jones

Major General Matthew Jones grew up in Portsmouth and studied history at Cambridge University. He commissioned into the Intelligence Corps in 1998. He has completed a wide range of regimental duty and intelligence appointments including four years attached to the Royal Marines. Over the years his operational service has included deployments to East Timor, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the wider Middle East, and Afghanistan.

His company command was with 4 Military Intelligence Battalion and included deployment to Helmand as 16 Air Assault Brigade’s senior intelligence officer. In 2011, he was assigned to the Afghanistan team in the MOD’s Operations Directorate and in 2012 attended the Advanced Command and Staff Course. His Lt Col staff appointment was in the Army Headquarters where he worked as the lead operational planner and led Commander Land Forces’ Initiatives Group. Major General Jones commanded 4 Military Intelligence Battalion between 2015-2017. Over this period he also led the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Groups of 20 Armoured Infantry Brigade and the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force.

In August 2017, Major General Jones became the Chief of Staff of HQ Force Troops Command. During this assignment he also attended the Higher Command and Staff Course. He then became Chief of Staff of the reformed 6th (UK) Division in 2019. In July 2020 he promoted to Brigadier and assumed command of 1st ISR Brigade and the 3rd (UK) Division Information Manoeuvre Group. In December 2021 he returned to the MOD as Head Military Strategy and Plans.

He then promoted to Major General and became Director ISR within Defence Intelligence in August 2023. This role includes responsibility for intelligence collection, command of strategic intelligence capabilities, development of ISR coherence across Defence, counter intelligence, and intelligence training.

Major General Jones lives in Wiltshire and is married with two young children.