539 Assault Squadron

Military experience

Mike Roddy was commissioned into the Royal Marines in 1994 following a degree at Cardiff and three years working in the offshore industry. He has enjoyed deploying worldwide with 40, 42 and 45 Commandos and was promoted to Lt Col in 2007.

Lt Col Roddy assumed command of 539 Assault Squadron RM / Armoured Support Group RM in Nov 10.

Staff appointments have included AdC to the UK Military Representative at HQ NATO Brussels, Adjutant at 45 Commando RM, SO2 J3 Land at PJHQ, SO1 N3 Amphibious Warfare at COMATG and, most recently, SO1 Overseas Counter Terrorism Operations at MOD. He is a graduate of the French staff college – the Collège Interarmées de Défense – and he was awarded the MBE for work on the PJHQ Middle East and Afghanistan operations teams.

Operationally he has served in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, and Iraq. Whilst commanding A Company 40 Commando and in concert with an extended deployment with HMS Bulwark, he contributed to a number of counter-terrorism related operations in the Middle East and East Africa. His time at COMATG included periods of UK command of both the NATO Reaction Force (Maritime) and Coalition Task Force 152. During the latter he was responsible for Theatre Security Cooperation activities with coalition and Gulf partner nations.