Air Vice-Marshal Mick Smeath joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1987 as an aircraft propulsion engineer prior to being commissioned as a RAF Regiment officer in 1990. He has extensive staff experience in the Ministry of Defence completing tours in the areas of operations, capability development and people. AVM Smeath served as the Secretary to the Chiefs of Staff working for the Secretary of State for Defence, Ministers and the Chiefs of Staff Committee. Promoted to Air Commodore in August 2017, he was appointed the UK Chief of the Defence Staff’s Liaison Officer to the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon. This was followed by 2 years as the Principal Staff Officer to the UK Chief of the Defence Staff, before being promoted to Air Vice-Marshal and appointed as the UK’s Defence Attaché and Head of British Defence Staff (United States) in Washington D.C. AVM Smeath was appointed Director Global Defence Network, commanding the UK’s Defence Attaché and Loan Service cadre world-wide, in January 2023.

Air Vice-Marshal Smeath has a Bachelor of Science degree (with Honours) in International Studies and Master of the Arts degrees in Strategic Studies and War Studies.