RAF Marham chief welcomes more defence investment

Group Captain Leonie Boyd is the first woman to run RAF Marham

The announcement of more investment in defence has been welcomed by a RAF Station Commander.

Group Captain Leonie Boyd took up her role at RAF Marham, Norfolk in September, the first woman and the first engineer to do so.

She said the additional £2.2bn in spending, confirmed by the government in the Spring Statement, was "overdue".

"There are some areas that have suffered from underinvestment for a long period of time," she added.

RAF Marham is the only base in the UK to support F-35 Lightning jets which are taking part in joint NATO exercises ahead of their deployment onto RAF aircraft carriers.

F-35 crews from the Norfolk base are taking part in joint NATO exercises ahead of a deployment onto RAF aircraft carriers

Gp Capt Boyd is both the first woman and the first engineer to take up the station commander role at RAF Marham.

The base has 3,000 staff and is home to the F-35 Lightning, a fifth generation, multi-role, stealth fighter jet.

"At the moment we are focused on a deployment in the next few weeks to go onto the carrier," she said.

"That's taking a lot of effort to make sure our people are trained and prepared, that their families are in the right place and are well supported.

"We're also part of an annual NATO exercise in the next couple of weeks where we've got Spanish aircraft coming here to Marham and operating here."

Gp Capt Boyd said these exercises were routine but had taken on additional importance given the "global context", with the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Station Commander Boyd welcomed the government announcement of increased defence spending in the Spring Statement

Gp Capt Boyd said she was inspired to join the RAF after watching the movie Top Gun as a child.

She said it was a privilege to command "such an amazing base" and thanked the local community for being so supportive of their often noisy neighbours.

Reacting to the Spring Statement, she said she was pleased to hear the chancellor talk about the welfare of servicemen and women and the need to improve accommodation.

"There are some areas that have suffered from underinvestment for a long period of time. Basics such as heating and hot water, that people should have," she said.

"It's very much a priority for me to make sure that we are spending our money wisely and getting after the things that matter to our people".

The F-35 aircraft and supporting personnel will deploy from RAF Marham in the coming weeks to join the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier as it sails to the Indo/Pacific region for a month's long deployment as part of Operation Highmast.