Alan West, Baron West of Spithead

Admiral The Right Honourable The Lord West of Spithead GCB DSC PC
Official portrait, 2020
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Security and Counter-Terrorism
In office 28 June 2007 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Tony McNulty
Succeeded by	The Baroness Neville-Jones
First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff
In office September 2002 – February 2006
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Sir Nigel Essenhigh
Succeeded by	Sir Jonathon Band
Chancellor of Solent University
In office 28 June 2006 – 1 October 2018
Deputy	Professor Graham Baldwin
Succeeded by	Theo Paphitis
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 July 2007 Life Peerage
Personal details
Born	(1948-04-21) 21 April 1948 (age 76) London, United Kingdom
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Rosemary Anne Linington Childs ​ ​ (m. 1973)​
Children	3
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	Royal Navy
Years of service	1965–2006
Rank	Admiral
Commands	First Sea Lord Commander-in-Chief Fleet Chief of Defence Intelligence Commander United Kingdom Task Group Director of Naval Staff Duties HMS Bristol HMS Ardent HMS Yarnton
Battles/wars	Falklands War Iraq War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Cross

Alan William John West, Baron West of Spithead, GCB, DSC, PC (born 21 April 1948) is a retired admiral of the Royal Navy and formerly, from June 2007 to May 2010, a Labour Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the British Home Office with responsibility for security and a security advisor to Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Prior to his ministerial appointment, he was First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff from 2002 to 2006.