Congratulations to Joel Roberts on his award of a MBE

Joel Robertrs has just been awarded MBE in the recent honours list for services to the Royal Navy.

 

Joel was originally a member of the very successful Duns ASC and then City of Edinburgh Swimming when he came up to university. 

 

Lieutenant Commander Roberts began his career in 2006 with the Royal Naval Reserve in HMS SCOTIA before joining Britannia Royal Naval College in 2007 as a Warfare Officer. He conducted training

appointments in HMS EDINBURGH on Atlantic Patrol Task (South), and HMS ALBION on humanitarian operations and regional naval training around West Africa. His Specialist Fleet time was spent conducting Mine Countermeasures (MCM) tasking in UK waters in HMS PENZANCE and HMS SHOREHAM.

 

His first assignment was as the Navigating Officer of MCM2 Crew 3 navigating HMS

CATTISTOCK in UK waters, HMS CHIDDINGFOLD on Operation TELIC in the Arabian Gulf and HMS BROCKLESBY on NATO and UK MCM operations in support of Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR and Operation ELLAMY in response to the Libyan conflict in 2011. He then joined HMS KENT as the Navigating Officer and navigated her through generation from refit, duties as the Fleet Ready Escort, and subsequent Operation KIPION deployment to the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean.

His first Command assignment was with the Fishery Protection Squadron as an Executive
Officer. In 2014 he completed a 6-month tour in HMS CLYDE as the Falklands Islands Patrol Vessel before joining HMS SEVERN in 2015. His first 6 months was spent conducting her first-of-class Atlantic Patrol Task (North) deployment to the Caribbean supporting UK Overseas Territories and conducting counter narcotics operations with an embarked US Coastguard law enforcement detachment. SEVERN then returned to UK waters for national tasking, marine enforcement operations on behalf of the Marine Management Organisation, and law enforcement tasking as part of the National Maritime Asset Co-ordination trial alongside embarked Border Force agents.

Following Initial Staff training and Principle Warfare Officer (PWO) course he joined HMS
DRAGON as a PWO in 2017 and served as the Operations Officer for her Operation KIPION deployment to the Arabian Gulf which included significant narcotics seizures totalling in excess of 18 tonnes. He then joined the United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group battlestaff in 2019 as the Current Operations Officer and Chief of Staff Coord for WESTLANT 19, the QUEEN ELIZABETH Carrier Strike Group deployment to the East Coast of the United States to develop UK sovereign carrier strike capability and conduct F-35B operational testing.

A member of the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals, he holds a BA in Humanities from the University of Edinburgh and a MA in Modern Warfare from King’s College London. He assumed Command of MCM1 Crew 6 in HMS RAMSEY in April 2020.