Lieutenant Commander Andy Brown Royal Navy Commanding Officer HMS MIDDLETON Andy Brown was born and raised in Cheshire before reading Applied Geology at the University of Birmingham. After 2 years of working in industry he went on to read for an MSc in Mining Geology at the University of Exeter, subsequently joining the Royal Navy in 1999 as a Warfare Officer. After initial training at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth he completed Fleet Training in HMS IRON DUKE in the South Atlantic and HMS CHIDDINGFOLD as part of the Fishery Protection Squadron in UK waters. He took up his first complement appointment as a Bridge Watch-keeper and Diving Officer in HMS RICHMOND. This included deployments to the Caribbean and United States and culminated in a 6-month deployment to the Persian Gulf as part of OPERATION TELIC (Iraq), during which HMS RICHMOND was involved in live Naval Fire Support operations on the Al Faw peninsula. In September 2003 he was appointed to HMS NEWCASTLE as the senior Bridge Watch-keeper and, having successfully completed Frigate Navigators Course in January 2004, he re-joined HMS NEWCASTLE as the Navigator on her deployment to the Mediterranean and Black Sea as part of the NATO Standing Naval Force Mediterranean. This was followed by an appointment in HMS GRAFTON as the Navigating Officer in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea as part of the UK MARSTRIKE ’05 Task Force. He assumed Command of Yorkshire Universities Royal Naval Unit and HMS EXPLORER in October 2006 and thoroughly enjoyed 2 years in Command undertaking deployments around the UK, Northern Europe and the Baltic, providing maritime security and training. Following a period of professional training he qualified as a Principal Warfare Officer in March 2010 and served in HMS WESTMINSTER as the Above Water Warfare specialist conducting Operational Sea Training and Advanced Anti-Submarine Warfare training before the Ship assumed the duty of the high readiness anti-submarine frigate protecting UK waters. During this time HMS WESTMINSTER was activated in support of OP DEFERENCE and OP ELLAMY off the coast of Libya in 2011 as the groundwork was laid for the No-Fly-Zone and NATO airstrikes. Taking over as the Operations Officer in early 2011 the Ship went through a period of focussed operational training before deploying on operations to the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea as part of OP KIPION. During the operation the Ship contributed to the protection of UK interests in the region, provided maritime security, disrupted pirates, seized millions of pounds worth of heroin and promoted international partnerships. In December 2012 he was appointed as a staff officer in Naval Command HQ, responsible to Captain Surface Ships in Portsmouth and contributing to the management of the timely generation of frigates and destroyers for operations. He assumed Command of HMS MIDDLETON and MCM2 Crew 8 on 10 February 2014. .