Commander, 

Allied Maritime Command

Sir Keith Blount is the Commander of NATO’s Allied Maritime Command.
He is NATO’s Principal Maritime Adviser and has command of NATO’s Standing Naval Forces.

Joining the Royal Navy in 1984 as a helicopter pilot, he was a front line aviator at the age of 20.
During a varied flying career, he qualified as an instructor and flew in the Royal Navy Helicopter Display Team.

Blount has blended his aviation experience with a broad span of command. He has commanded three warships, including the helicopter carrier HMS OCEAN, and was the Iraqi Maritime Task Group Commander during Operation TELIC. During more recent operations in Syria and Iraq, he was the UK’s Maritime Component Commander, based in Bahrain.

His staff appointments have included three periods in the Ministry of Defence, including two years as Military Assistant to the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff. Between 2015 and 2019 he was the professional Head of Aviation in the Royal Navy and accountable for the delivery of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.

Appointed OBE in 2012, he was awarded an Operational Legion of Merit by the President of the United States in 2016 and invested as a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 2018. He was knighted in 2023. He has been recognised with an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Plymouth and holds a Master of Arts degree in Defence Studies.

Blount will become NATO’s Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe in July 2023.