Anna-Lee Reilly

Lieutenant General

Anna-Lee Reilly

CB FREng
Born
Anna-Lee Shorters

(1974-12-31) 31 December 1974
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
BranchBritish Army
Service years1997–present
RankLieutenant General
UnitRoyal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
ConflictsIraq War
Alma materCranfield University
King's College London

Lieutenant General Anna-Lee Reilly (née Shorters; born 31 December 1974) is a British engineer and British Army officer. Her early career was spent with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, as a staff officer, and then working for Defence Equipment and Support within the Ministry of Defence.

Early life and education

Reilly was born on 31 December 1974 in Exeter, Devon, England.[1] She studied information systems and management at Cranfield University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in 1996.[2] She later undertook two master's degrees: a Master of Science (MSc) degree in designing information systems at Cranfield (2006); and a Master of Arts (MA) degree at King's College London in defence studies (2012).[2] She is undertaking a doctorate at King's College London focused on the integration of women into the British Army.[3]

Military career

Reilly joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1997.[4] She became interested in engineering after being commissioned to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME).[4] She was commissioned in the REME, British Army, as a second lieutenant on 13 December 1997, with seniority in that rank from 10 December 1994, and was promoted the same day to lieutenant with seniority from 10 December 1996.[5] She was promoted to captain on 13 June 2000.[6] She was an assistant equerry to the Philip, Duke of Edinburgh between 2003 and 2008.[2] She was the first female engineering officer attached to the Household Cavalry Regiment, commanding a Light Aid Detachment that deployed with them during Op TELIC (Iraq War).[4][7] Having attended Staff College, she was promoted to major on 31 July 2005.[8] She also commanded REME troops in Germany, Bosnia, and Kosovo.[4]

In 2013, Reilly was promoted to lieutenant colonel.[4] From 2013 to 2016, she was commanding officer of 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion REME.[2] Since then she has been responsible for the deployment of UK troops overseas.[4] In 2022, Reilly was appointed Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Director of Operations. The Operations Directorate brings people together from across DE&S to increase the UK's ability to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[9][10] Her team were recognised at the Government Commercial Function Awards in 2023 with the Best Team of the Year and the Overall 2023 Commercial Excellence Award.[9]

On 18 August 2025, Reilly was appointed Director General Core Delivery for DE&S and promoted to lieutenant general.[11][12] She is only the second woman in the British Army and the sixth REME officer to reach the rank of lieutenant general.[7]

Reilly was appointed Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2024.[4][13] In the 2024 King's Birthday Honours, she appointed Companion of the Bath (CB).[14][15][16]

References

  1. ^ "Reilly, Lt Gen. Anna-Lee; CB 2024; FREng; Director General, Core Delivery, Defence Equipment and Support, since 2025". Who's Who 2026. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d "Article Reilly, Maj. Gen. Anna-Lee, (born 31 Dec. 1974), Director Operations, Defence Equipment and Support, since 2022". Who's Who 2025. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  3. ^ "Major General Anna-Lee Reilly CB FREng". raeng.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g West, Lisa (23 September 2024). "Major General Anna-Lee Reilly honoured". UK Defence Journal. Archived from the original on 16 June 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  5. ^ "No. 55026". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 January 1998. p. 958.
  6. ^ "No. 55928". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 August 2000. p. 8454.
  7. ^ a b Colonel Iain Wallace (5 August 2025). "Corps News: Lieutenant General Anna-Lee Reilly CB FREng - Another promotion to 3*!". The Craftsman. 81 (7): 5. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  8. ^ "No. 57718". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 August 2005. pp. 9964–9965.
  9. ^ a b "DE&S Operations Directorate marks its one-year anniversary". Defence Equipment & Support. 2023-12-20. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  10. ^ "DESIDER: An Inside Look at Defence Equipment and Support" (PDF). 2024.
  11. ^ "No. 64825". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 August 2025. p. 16283.
  12. ^ "Maj Gen Anna-Lee Reilly appointed DE&S DG Core Delivery". Defence Equipment & Support. 5 June 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  13. ^ "Maj Gen Anna-Lee Reilly made Royal Academy of Engineering Fellow". Defence Equipment & Support. 2024-09-18. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  14. ^ "32 King's alumni honoured in King's Birthday Honours 2024". King's College London. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  15. ^ "DE&S staff recognised for services to defence in King's Birthday Honours list". Defence Equipment & Support. 2024-06-15. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  16. ^ "No. 64423". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 2024. p. B2.
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