John Cooper (British Army officer)
Lieutenant General John Cooper, CB, DSO, MBE (born 17 February 1955) is a retired British Army officer. From March 2008 to March 2009 he was the Deputy Commander of Multinational Force-Iraq (MNF-I) and the Senior British Military Representative in Iraq, working closely with the U.S. commander General Odierno. He retired from the army later in 2009.
Cooper grew up in Berwick-upon-Tweed, England, and went to Berwick Grammar School. He trained at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was commissioned into the King's Own Scottish Borderers in 1975. He served in Northern Ireland, Britain and Germany, and later spent time in Zimbabwe on advisory duties. He rose through the ranks: captain in 1981, major in 1987, lieutenant colonel in 1994, brigadier in 1999, major general in 2004, and lieutenant general in 2008.
His commands included the 12th Mechanised Brigade (which deployed to Bosnia in 2000) and the 1st (UK) Armoured Division (with elements sent to Iraq). He also served as Colonel of the King's Own Scottish Borderers and held senior staff positions, including a key role at the Pentagon and as Chief of Staff, Field Army.
Cooper received several decorations for his service: Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1990 for his work in Northern Ireland, the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for command in Northern Ireland and other tours, and the US Bronze Star Medal for his Afghanistan service. He was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 2009.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:38 (CET).