Captain Anthony (Tony) Williams was born in Shropshire and joined the Royal Navy as a Warfare Officer in 1994. Following training in HM Ships LEEDS CASTLE and BRILLIANT, he embarked on his first complement appointment as the Gunnery Officer of HMS SHETLAND, part of the Fishery Protection Squadron, enforcing EU Legislation within British Fishery Limits.
Tony completed Fighter Controller (FC) Training in 1999 and was subsequently appointed to HMS GLOUCESTER during which time the ship deployed for 6 months, escorting HMS ILLUSTRIOUS in the Arabian Gulf during OP SOUTHERN WATCH. He then joined 899 Naval Air Squadron before instructing at the Royal Navy School of Fighter Control in 2002.
Selected for Command, Tony returned to the Fishery Protection Squadron in 2004 as the Executive Officer of HMS TYNE. Principal Warfare Officer (PWO) training followed and he qualified as a PWO (Above Water) in 2007. He joined HMS IRON DUKE as PWO and later as Operations Officer, emerging from refit and deploying to the Caribbean and Falkland Islands in 2008. During this period, HMS IRON DUKE hosted Prince William for his Naval training and rendered significant Disaster Relief support to the Turks and Caicos Islands following the devastating effects of the passage of Hurricane Ike. Appointment to the Permanent Joint HQ at Northwood came next, where he had day to day responsibility for the operational delivery of the UK Counter Piracy effort and Counter Terrorism capacity building overseas.
Tony assumed Command of MCM2 Crew 7 in 2011 and immediately generated for NATO deployment to the Mediterranean in HMS LEDBURY whilst maintaining readiness as the UK contingent MCM. In Nov 2012, he transferred with the Crew to HMS HURWORTH and delivered a full UK programme before commencing generation for a Gulf Deployment. Following a period in a Cross-Government Unit responsible delivering UK Stabilisation efforts around the world, Tony was selected for promotion to Commander and further Sea Command in 2013 and returned to Command the Fishery Protection Squadron in 2014. Following ACSC he spent a short time as the Commander at the Royal Navy’s New Entry Training establishment, HMS RALEIGH, before an OPTOUR as Staff Operations Officer to UKMCC in 2017.
On return to the UK Tony was assigned to MoD’s Finance and Military Capability Division, in 2018, responsible for the Royal Navy’s Capability planning and coherence. Selected for promotion in 2019 he returned to Operations in the Gulf in 2020 before a return to MoD in the Space Directorate, designing the Defence Space Portfolio of capabilities post IR20. Tony joined the National Shipbuilding Office in Nov 2021 as Deputy Head for Delivery and was selected to return to Space as Head of Capability in UK Space Command in 2024.
Tony is married and has a university age family. His interests include reading, history and keeping fit.
