51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland (51st Inf Bde & HQ Scotland) officially welcomed a new Army Commander, Brigadier Dave Calder OBE, today (17 August).
Brigadier Dave Calder takes over as the new Army Commander in Scotland.
Brigadier Jody Davies MBE (left) gives over the post to Brigadier Dave Calder (right)
51st Inf Bde & HQ Scotland, based in Edinburgh, is established as a Joint Military Command (JMC). It is responsible for the delivery of UK resilience and security operations, ceremonial operations, and leading the British Army’s engagement in Scotland. A JMC, when required, will direct troops from the Army, Royal Navy, or Royal Air Force.
“It is an immense privilege to serve and serve in my own community. 51 Brigade plays a vital role in making Scotland safe, secure, and prosperous and I am looking forward to doing all I can to support this over the next three years.”
Brigadier Dave commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 2003 after training as a mechanical engineer. In his early career he commanded in 32 Engineer Regiment, served as 21 Engineer Regiment’s operations officer, and commanded 29 Armoured Engineer Squadron and 22 Engineer Regiment.
Brigadier Dave has deployed on operations to Estonia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Belize and has served in principal roles to the Army’s Director of Personnel, at the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters, led the Ministry of Defence crisis team and attended the UK’s Global Strategy Programme at the Royal College of Defence Studies.
Now in his first ever Army appointment in Scotland, taking up the prestigious role as Commander 51st Inf Bde & HQ Scotland, he said:
“It is an immense privilege to serve and serve in my own community. 51 Brigade plays a vital role in making Scotland safe, secure, and prosperous and I am looking forward to doing all I can to support this over the next three years.”
“It’s been an honour to command the Army’s HQ in Scotland. I’m immensely proud of the work we’ve done with teams from the Scottish Government, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Police Scotland to defend the homeland."
Brigadier Dave takes over command from Brigadier Jody Davies MBE.
Brigadier Jody, who has been in the post since August 2023, reflected on his time with 51st Inf Bde & HQ Scotland:
“It’s been an honour to command the Army’s HQ in Scotland. I’m immensely proud of the work we’ve done with teams from the Scottish Government, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Police Scotland to defend the homeland. I’ve learnt so much about our country and wish to congratulate my team for the work they do to lead, enable, support, and promote the British Army in Scotland.”
Brigadier Jody will now take up post at the UK’s Cyber and Specialist Operations Command.
51st Inf Bde & HQ Scotland is also responsible for sustaining a secure domestic network and promoting the lived experience of British Army personnel and their families in Scotland. It is the British Army’s connection to the Devolved Government, the people of Scotland, and the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland.
The British Army is recruiting right now to fill 10,000 jobs across the UK with more than 200 roles to choose from, covering everything from frontline combat and cyber security to helicopter pilots, chefs and support roles. If you’re aged 16 to 50 and if you want to find out more about a career in the Army, click Army Jobs website.