Brigadier Karl Harris CBE
Commissioned into the Royal Regiment of Artillery in 1994, Brigadier Karl Harris serves as Director of the British Army’s Land Command and Staff College, overseeing the professional military education of 1,800 British Army and Royal Marines officers annually. Brigadier Karl a valuable member at the Memorial gates council.
His first ten years of military service consisted of a variety of regimental posts, including recruit training, leading the Army’s Ethnic Minorities Recruiting Team, and completing the All-Arms Commando Course. He’s deployed in operational roles to Northern Ireland, Iraq (three tours), Afghanistan (three tours) and United States Central Command. Most recently, he served in Iraq for twelve months as Special Defence Adviser to the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, and deployed back to the region for a further twelve months as Deputy Commanding General of the Global Counter-Daesh Coalition’s Combined Joint Task Force (Operation INHERENT RESOLVE), earning the United States Legion of Merit (Degree of Officer).
Brigadier Harris is a grateful alumnus of UK Defence’s professional military education, having completed the Advanced and Higher Command and Staff Courses, and the Royal College of Defence Studies. He holds a Defence Studies Master’s Degree and postgraduate qualifications in Security and Strategy, Strategic Management and Leadership, and Academic Practice in Higher Education. All were completed with King’s College London.
Passionate about maximising all talent, he founded and led the British Army’s Multicultural Network from 2015 to 2021 and continues to support its work. This employee resource group empowers personnel and enhances the Army's cultural fabric, helping to drive meaningful change within the organisation and beyond. In recognition of his voluntary work, he was appointed CBE in the late HM Queen Elizabeth II’s 2022 Birthday Honours List. He continues to help drive social progress across sectors. Brigadier Harris is proud to serve as Honorary Colonel of the 26th Regiment Royal Artillery, where he has fulfilled the privilege of command three times. And, having decided to try and gain a new skill in his fifties, leads Army Snowboarding as its Chair. He’s married and a proud father to two adult daughters and an adult son, who wince each time Karl ventures off learning to snowboard.
His first ten years of military service consisted of a variety of regimental posts, including recruit training, leading the Army’s Ethnic Minorities Recruiting Team, and completing the All-Arms Commando Course. He’s deployed in operational roles to Northern Ireland, Iraq (three tours), Afghanistan (three tours) and United States Central Command. Most recently, he served in Iraq for twelve months as Special Defence Adviser to the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, and deployed back to the region for a further twelve months as Deputy Commanding General of the Global Counter-Daesh Coalition’s Combined Joint Task Force (Operation INHERENT RESOLVE), earning the United States Legion of Merit (Degree of Officer).
Brigadier Harris is a grateful alumnus of UK Defence’s professional military education, having completed the Advanced and Higher Command and Staff Courses, and the Royal College of Defence Studies. He holds a Defence Studies Master’s Degree and postgraduate qualifications in Security and Strategy, Strategic Management and Leadership, and Academic Practice in Higher Education. All were completed with King’s College London.
Passionate about maximising all talent, he founded and led the British Army’s Multicultural Network from 2015 to 2021 and continues to support its work. This employee resource group empowers personnel and enhances the Army's cultural fabric, helping to drive meaningful change within the organisation and beyond. In recognition of his voluntary work, he was appointed CBE in the late HM Queen Elizabeth II’s 2022 Birthday Honours List. He continues to help drive social progress across sectors. Brigadier Harris is proud to serve as Honorary Colonel of the 26th Regiment Royal Artillery, where he has fulfilled the privilege of command three times. And, having decided to try and gain a new skill in his fifties, leads Army Snowboarding as its Chair. He’s married and a proud father to two adult daughters and an adult son, who wince each time Karl ventures off learning to snowboard.