Colonel Jim Howard OBE

Colonel James (Jim) Howard commissioned into the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment and commanded his first Challenger 2 tank in 2001. His time at Regimental Duty has included Reconnaissance Troop Leader (CVR(T)), Operations Officer, Squadron Leader and Commanding Officer of the Royal Tank Regiment. During this time, he has served on armoured operations in Bosnia, Kosovo and multiple tours of Iraq. He has trained in a broad spectrum of environments, from Oman to the Arctic Circle. Genuinely passionate about innovation and the development of armour, during his time as commanding officer, the Royal Tank Regiment developed the Project Streetfighter 2 tank. This project led with a number of new concepts such as a Brimstone 2 launcher pod (now featured on the BOXER Overwatch variant) and Tank / UGV teaming, part of the Armoured Wolfpack. Colonel Howard is currently the Deputy Team Leader in Land Combat Vehicles, the DE&S team responsible for the delivery of, amongst other platforms, Challenger 3, Boxer and FATV (Viking replacement)