Lieutenant Commander P Russell MNI Royal Navy Commanding Officer HMS Ledbury Born in Portsmouth in 1969 into a naval family, Lieutenant Commander Paul Russell had a long held ambition to join the Royal Navy.  He did so as Full Career Cadet in 1988 following his education at Crofton School, Stubbington.

After completing initial training at Britannia Royal Naval College and at sea in Hong Kong, he immediately sub-specialised as a Fighter Controller. His first complement appointment saw him join the "Scottish" Navy in HMS York whilst she was based in Rosyth.  Further frontline experience was gained as an Air Director in HMS Invincible during Operations Deny Flight and Deliberate Force in support of NATO troops in the Former Yugoslavia.  He then utilised this experience as the Staff Fighter Controller to Flag Officer Sea Training.

Qualifying as a Principal Warfare Officer (Above Water Warfare) in 1999, he joined HMS Iron Duke during the crisis in Kosovo.  After training as a specialist Anti-Air Warfare Officer in 2001, he was appointed to HMS Glasgow for a South Atlantic deployment, including operations off Sierra Leone whilst the rebel insurgency was ongoing.  Returning to the Carrier fleet as a Lieutenant Commander, he joined HMS Ark Royal as the Senior Warfare Officer and was intimately involved with the Air Defence of the UK Task Group during the second Gulf War.  More recently, in his first shore job, his career took a change of direction when he worked within the Second Sea Lord's organisation as the Junior Warfare Officers' Career Manager.  He assumed command of HMS Ledbury in July 2006.