The former head of the British army, General Sir Mike Jackson, has died aged 80, the army has confirmed.
He led the army during the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, after serving in the Balkans and Northern Ireland.
In 1999, he famously refused an order from his American commander to intercept Russian troops as they entered Kosovo without NATO permission.
“I’m not going to start World War III for you,” he reportedly told General Wesley Clark.
Announcing his death, the British Army said he would be “dearly missed and long remembered”.
The father of three died on Tuesday surrounded by his family, the army said in a statement statement posted on X.
Sir Mike was a much-loved and respected soldier – not only by the military, but also by the wider public.
He was immediately recognizable by the heavy bags under his eyes and his rich, gravelly voice – refined by whiskey and cheroots.
Born into a military family on March 21, 1944, he joined the army at the age of 19 before graduating from the University of Birmingham in 1967.
At the height of the Cold War, he learned Russian in the intelligence corps.
IIn 1970 he transferred to the Parachute Regiment, serving in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles.
He was on the ground when members of the regiment opened fire on protesters, killing and wounding many in what became known as Bloody Sunday.
Later he visited the Ballymurphy research, in which he denied there was a “cover-up” over the shooting of ten people in Belfast.
Sir Mike was given command of the regiment’s First Battalion between 1984 and 1986.
Between 1995 and 1996 he commanded the UN peacekeeping force in Bosnia.
During the Kosovo campaign he received the Distinguished Service Order for leadership.
Just a month before the Iraq war began, he became head of the British Army, replacing General Sir Michael Walker.
Sir Mike, or Jacko as he was known, also had the unenviable task of amalgamating old regiments, but he will still be fondly remembered as a charismatic, outspoken general.
He is survived by three children from two marriages and four grandchildren.
Paying tribute to his memory, the Parachute Regimental Association said he had been a “great leader of men” who would be “missed by many”.
