“Prepare The Regiment! We’re Going To Be Busy”: Service Around The Globe With The Royal Signals

LTG Nick A. W. Pope, CBE, and his wife, Dr. Joanna Pope, MRCGP, recently traveled to the United States Military Academy to deliver the annual Kermit Roosevelt Lecture. LTG Pope has served as a Royal Signals Officer since his graduation from Jesus College, Cambridge in 1981. During his career, he has deployed to Bosnia and Afghanistan, and after September 11th, elements of his regiment were deployed world-wide, requiring innovative organizational planning and agile leadership. While in Afghanistan, he commanded a force comprised of a wide variety of coalition partners, requiring relationship building and proactive leadership. In this interview, he describes his operational assignments, and highlights the importance of building relationships, trusting and empowering subordinates, and fostering positive communications. He also discusses the history of the Gurkhas and their service within the British Army. At the end of the interview, LTG Pope’s wife, Dr. Joanna Pope, briefly shares some of her experiences as a doctor and as a British Army spouse, including her journey from studying psychology to becoming a general practitioner.