Brigadier Richard Bell has assumed the role of Deputy Commanding General, Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) in Iraq.
Brigadier Richard Bell has assumed the role of Deputy Commanding General, Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) in Iraq. He took over from Major General Kevin Copsey who previously held the position of Deputy Commander (Support) of CJTF-OIR.
Brigadier Bell was commissioned into the Army in 2002; an Infanteer by background, he has commanded two Light Infantry Companies on operations and an Air Assault Company within 16 Air Assault Brigade, prior to Infantry Battalion Command at the Infantry Training Centre. He also served as Chief of Staff for 7th Armoured Brigade (The Desert Rats).
He has been the Military Assistant to the Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe at SHAPE, the Personal Projects Officer for the Commander of the International Security Assistance Force and a Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for the British Army’s Home Command. On operations, he has deployed to the Falkland Islands, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. Brigadier Bell is also a Deputy Colonel for The Royal Irish Regiment.
Operation Inherent Resolve was established in 2014 in order to formalise ongoing military actions against the rising threat posed by ISIS in Iraq and Syria. In conjunction with partner forces, CJTF-OIR defeats ISIS in designated areas of Iraq and Syria and remains united in a long-term, international mission to create enduring security in Iraq and Northeast Syria to enable stabilisation activities and humanitarian assistance.