Richard Elliot

Richard Elliot joined the Royal Air Force in 1991 and from 2001 executed numerous IMINT leadership roles for UK Defence and associated partners.  Imagery analysis responsibilities were principally COIN focussed, with significant provision of finished IMINT product support to Op BANNER (3 years) and Op HERRICK (4 years).  In addition to overseeing continuous reachback product delivery, Richard was employed for several on years on Tactical IMINT Wing; developing nascent collection and PED capabilities in direct support to operations, both from the Basrah Contingency Operating Base, Iraq and Tornado Deployment in Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.  Richard’s final RAF position was as the UK’s senior TLAM Weaponeer and Geopositioning Analyst, leading a joint integrated team in support of both contingency and operational tasking in North Africa and the Middle East.

After retiring from military life, Richard joined the Ministry of Defence as a civil servant.  After initially undertaking a Target Systems Analysis function, he was quickly reassigned to the Dynamic Operations Mission Team and became the first senior analyst in the UK’s recently established Time Dominant Analysis Team.  In addition to supporting TDAT, Richard concentrated the wider mission team’s focus on Sub-Saharan Africa; this supported the development of the Operational Collection and Assessment Plan, a process that provided I&W to recently deployed UK troops.

In early 2018 and, after a brief spell as a National GEOINT Officer within Defence Intelligence’s (DI) Middle East Mission Team, Richard was appointed as Head of Profession for UK Imagery Analysis and IMINT Capability Lead for DI.  Richard continues to work in close collaboration with UK partners (NCGI) and partners overseas (NGA, NATO, EUCOM) ensuring the UK’s IMINT focus on resourcing, training, productivity, standards and innovation continues to support both national and international allied priorities.