Major General Paul Nanson, born 1966 was a British Army officer who served as Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and as General Officer Commanding Recruiting and Initial Training Command.
Early life and education
Nanson was born on 10 May 1965 in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England. He was educated at Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School, Crosby and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
Military career
Nanson was commissioned into the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in January 1986. He became commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in 2006 and was deployed to Iraq. He went on to be chief of staff for 1st (United Kingdom) Armoured Division in Germany in 2008, commander of the 7th Armoured Brigade in March 2011 and Director (Army) at the Joint Services Command and Staff College in April 2014. After that he became Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in September 2015. Nanson was given the additional appointment of General Officer Commanding Recruiting and Initial Training Command in 2018, a post which he continued in after finishing his 5 year term at the Royal Military academy, Sandhurst as commandant.
Honours and decorations
Nanson was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for distinguished services in Afghanistan on 26 February 2015 and Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2020 New Year Honours.