High flying RAF professional wins major scholarship

The Scholarship is funded by Babcock International Group, a FTSE 100 support services engineering company, and the leading supplier of support services to the MOD.  It was awarded in conjunction with the University’s Strategy and Security Institute partners, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), an independent think-tank for defence and security which advises governments and the wider policy community.

The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards, was integral to the scholarship selection process. Wing Commander Craghill was selected from an elite group of professionals from the RAF, Army, Navy and Civil Service due to start the MA programme in October. On awarding the first Chief of Defence Staff’s Scholarship, General Richards said: "Strategy is about making choices and it is inherently competitive. We know that despite all of the demands for scarce defence resources, we simply have to invest if we are to actively make our leaders our 'agile edge' in a volatile and competitive world.

He added: “This Scholarship from Babcock International Group has enabled us to do exactly that; to turn rhetoric into reality. I warmly congratulate the winner and I look forward to seeing him when I visit Exeter to lecture on applied strategy to his MStrat cohort later this year."

Through the award of this scholarship, Wing Commander Craghill has been recognised as one of the Ministry of Defence’s top candidates for an academic programme which will produce confident strategic thinkers able to drive and execute policy and strategy calmly, and under pressure. Wing Commander Craghill said: “The pace of military change in recent years has forced a focus on the tactical and operational, with a corresponding reduction in capacity for strategic thinking. Therefore, I am honoured to have secured the opportunity to engage with the strategic debate through participation in the University of Exeter’s inaugural Masters in Applied Security Strategy. The chance to be challenged by a wide range of subject matter, the interactive nature of the course and the spread of student backgrounds will undoubtedly make for a fascinating year.”

John Davies, Babcock International Group’s Defence and Security Division Chief Executive said: "We are delighted to sponsor the Chief of Defence Staff's scholarship programme at the University of Exeter's Strategy and Security Institute. In a volatile and uncertain world it is vital that leaders, whatever part of the UK's Whole Force they represent, can think and act in partnership: this programme will develop trust as well as professional strategic expertise.”