Lt Col Max Garrety MBE has led a varied military-career to date: initially an officer cadet in the Queen’s Own Highlanders Reserve, before joining the RAF as a pilot in 1987 and subsequently re-roled to the navigator stream; this led to a posting to the Air Defence environment with a few hours on the F4 and then onto the Tornado F3.  Unfortunately, a loss of medical category led to grounding and leaving the RAF in 1993, he then commissioned into the Yeomanry (Reserve Cavalry) serving as a troop leader and squadron 2IC; then service with the Queen’s Royal Lancers in Germany and the UK until 2004.

Reserve service followed back in the Yeomanry, whilst holding down a demanding civilian role with Knight Frank as a professional-valuation chartered-surveyor.  Garrety returned to full-time service in 2009 with the Army Recruiting and Training Division (ARTD) whilst undertaking an MSc in International Security.

Promotion to SO1 in 2012, kept Garrety in ARTD in programme management and as COS and DCOS of Recruiting Group, before a new challenge to employ his commercial skills in the oversight of Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre in December 16, shaping the outload of the UK’s Strategic Base. As a result, he was awarded an MBE in the final Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2021. The next posting saw a return to aviation in the Joint Helicopter Command looking after all aspects of simulation and training and now heads up Adaptive Training under the newly titled Joint Aviation Command.

Lt Col Garrety is married with two teenage boys, neither of whom has any desire to replicate their father’s most unorthodox career. Hobbies include oil painting, cycling, sailing, and military history.