Brigadier Doug Gibson
Biography
Brigadier Doug Gibson arrived in Ottawa as the UK Defence Adviser (DA) in August 2020. Brigadier Gibson was commissioned by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth into the Royal Engineers - the British Army’s Civil Engineers - at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in March 1990.
His military operational experience in spans: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq, Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Afghanistan. Most recently, Doug spent 12 months as the Deputy for Operations to the United States Security Coordinator, leading the UK’s contribution to security reform and capacity building in the Occupied Palestinian Territories within a multinational coalition which included a significant Canadian contribution.
When not deployed on operations Doug has served as a planner in the Ministry of Defence during two Strategic Defence Reviews and at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as the Chief Instructor for the Army’s regular and reserve officer commissioning courses. Within Defence’s equipment and support delivery organisation, Doug led teams charged with the delivery and operation of Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, and the transformation of the UK military’s protected vehicle fleet, as well as being chief of staff to the Quarter Master General.
Doug is a graduate of the UK Joint Services Command and Staff College and the Royal College of Defence Studies. His Bachelor’s degree is in Engineering, he has a Master’s in Business Administration and is a Fellow of the Institute of Royal Engineers. He is Chairman of British Army Swimming, Water-polo and Diving and Honorary Colonel of Wales University Officers Training Corps.
Married to Paula, a Chartered Accountant, they have three children and a home in the village of Tintern, on the banks of the beautiful River Wye, in Monmouthshire. Doug enjoys being outdoors: walking, mountaineering, river rowing and gardening. They are all delighted to be coming to Ottawa.
Defence Adviser, Canada
A Defence Adviser is a member of the armed forces who serves in an embassy or high commission as a representative of their country’s defence establishment abroad. The Defence Adviser is responsible for bilateral military and defence relations.