HMS Middleton

Military experience

Steve Higham joined the Royal Navy in 1997 after gaining degrees in Law and International Law at Cambridge University. Following initial training at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth and HM Ships Quorn and Sutherland, he was appointed to the Destroyer, HMS Cardiff as a Bridge Watchkeeper.

Between 2001-2003, Higham served as the Flag Lieutenant and Aide de Camp to Flag Officer Surface Flotilla. This was an intense period of activity that saw the Royal Navy respond to the events of 9/11 while undertaking radical reform and significant reshaping. After this early insight into strategic and operational thinking, Higham joined the Fishery Protection Squadron serving as Executive Officer in the Patrol Vessel, HMS Guernsey. Selected for a Lieutenant ‘Command Appointment’ he moved to the Offshore Patrol Vessel, HMS Mersey as Executive Officer and Officer in Temporary Command under the innovative 3 Watch Manning regime.

Selected early for promotion to Lieutenant Commander in 2004, Higham undertook the Initial Command and Staff Course (Maritime) and the Principal Warfare Officer (PWO) Courses in 2005. His first appointment as a PWO was in the Type 23 Frigate HMS Montrose, conducting maritime security, counter-terrorism and asset protection patrols in the Gulf. Higham became Operations Officer as Montrose conducted further operational deployments to the Gulf and Mediterranean in 2006-2007. The Ship was awarded the Fleet SeaWolf trophy during this period in recognition of her efficiency and operational effectiveness.

Advanced Air Warfare training followed, with Higham being awarded the BAE Systems Prize and an assignment to the Type 42 Air Defence Destroyer, HMS York as Operations Officer and Executive Officer in 2007. In 2008, Higham received the prestigious appointment as Senior Warfare Officer in the Destroyer HMS Manchester, deployed as Regional Air Defence Commander for the Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Gulf of Aden working as part of the USS Harry S Truman Carrier Group. In recognition of this contribution to strike operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Royal Navy ‘first’ of deploying fully integrated into a US Carrier Group, Manchester was awarded the Fleet SeaDart trophy for air warfare effectiveness. Manchester followed this with another operational deployment to the South Atlantic in 2009.
Higham was most recently appointed to the UK Ministry of Defence as a policy and operations advisor in a busy, specialist, operational Directorate.
Selected for Command in 2010, he joined the Second Mine Countermeasures Squadron in Command of Crew 2 and HMS Cattistock in Aug 2011 followed by HMS Middleton in Jan 2012.

Steve Higham is married and lives on the South Coast. A limited (but keen) tennis, squash and cricket player, he and his wife share common interests in cooking, travel and watching cricket and international rugby union.