Deterring the War: Defanging Russia
ABCD 2026
Mark Pullan
CBE, Director Operations and Planning – IMS
Major General Mark Pullan is Director of Operations and Planning at NATO's International Military Staff. He was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff Plans at Joint Force Command Brunssum on promotion to Major General in 2022, and was made CBE in the 2023 New Year's Honours. Before that, he led the Deterrence and Defence in the Euro-Atlantic Implementation Group at SHAPE, having commanded the 1st Artillery Brigade following the Higher Command and Staff Course in 2016. As a Colonel, he was Programme Director for Joint Effects capability development at Army HQ and Senior Responsible Officer for several major equipment programmes, including Watchkeeper. He commanded the 16th Regiment Royal Artillery, covering deployments to Afghanistan alongside the Falkland Islands standing commitment, and earlier served as SO1 Army Plans in the Ministry of Defence. He was Second in Command of 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, deploying to Afghanistan as Chief of Staff of the Joint Fires and ISTAR Group, after a tour in PJHQ's J3 Division and Battery Command at 19th Regiment Royal Artillery. Commissioned into the Royal Artillery from Sandhurst in 1996, he served in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He studied architecture at Hull University.
Updated: August 12, 2026