General sir mike jackson biography

Mike jackson record

From frontline service in Northern Ireland through operational command in the Balkans to leading the Army on the eve of the Iraq war, General Sir Mike Jackson never imagined when he signed up at 19 years of age that he would rise to the very top. Known to almost all as Jacko, he was a key figure in many historic moments during 45 years of service.

But it was his time leading international peacekeepers in Kosovo that perhaps best illustrates the range of skills he brought to the job. He immediately faced a crisis, with Russian troops also moving in and occupying the main airport. Gen Sir Mike was ordered by his immediate superior, US General Wesley Clark, to block the runway — but his military judgement was that it was too risky.

And so he famously disobeyed that order, supposedly telling General Clarke "I'm not going to start World War Three for you" — although recollections may vary. Instead, Gen Sir Mike used his own Russian language and diplomatic skills to negotiate personally with the Russian commander. Both Washington and London decided to back his call over General Clarke, he kept his job and went on to earn the Distinguished Service Order.

As a junior officer, he was present at Ballymurphy in , when the Army shot dead at least nine people, all described by a coroner as "entirely innocent". Months later he was on duty in the operations headquarters on Bloody Sunday — when 13 people at a civil rights march were shot dead by soldiers from the Parachute Regiment. Because of those events, Gen Sir Mike remains a controversial figure in Northern Ireland more than half a century on.