Colonel Commandant, Royal Corps of Army Music
Colonel Commandant, Royal Corps of Army Music
Major General David Eastman MBE BEng(Hons) MSc CEng FIMechE
Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Capability & Force Design)
Maj Gen David Eastman commissioned into the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in 1989. He has served in Hong Kong, Nepal, Germany, the Falkland Islands, Australia and across the UK, and has deployed on operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan twice. He was made an MBE following the first UK deployment to Helmand in 2006, during which he was employed as the Deputy Chief of Staff, 16 Air Assault Brigade.
In addition to service with a wide variety of field force units, Maj Gen Eastman has focused on developing his Joint, International and Capability credentials at the Operational and Strategic levels. Roles have included planning the redeployment of British Forces from Afghanistan whilst in PJHQ; Force Development and Strategic Management of the UK military force structure in support of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review as part of the Financial and Military Capability Directorate in MoD; and a stint as a Military Assistant at the strategic level for the Assistant Chief of the General staff.
From an international perspective, he has been the Military Assistant to a German 4-star NATO commander, commanded a globally-deployed Defence Engagement-focused logistic brigade and commanded the UN multi-national contingent on a number of exercises in South Korea. He served as the Head of International Policy and Plans for Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean in the Ministry of Defence, subsequently switching to Euro-Atlantic Security.
He completed the UK Higher Command and Staff Course in 2013 and, in 2019, the Australian War College Defence and Strategic Studies Course in Canberra.
On returning to the UK, Maj Gen Eastman served as General Officer Commanding Regional Command, running the Army’s UK strategic base and concurrently serving as the Deputy Commander and then Commander of the UK’s Standing Joint Command, responsible for support to UK resilience including the Defence COVID Force. He assumed the role of Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Capability and Force Design) in August 2022 and is now the Defence lead for capability strategy and planning, and future force development and design.
In April 2023, Maj Gen Eastman was appointed Master General REME, a position he is incredibly proud to hold alongside his extant appointments as Colonel Commandant RCAM, Chairman of UK Armed Forces Rugby and Deputy President REME Winter Sports Association – Ice Sports.
He is married to Corina and has four young children. He is an avid musician and rugby player/coach, but recently turned to the dark side qualifying as a referee.