Wing Commander Paul Withers

Paul Withers joined the Royal Air Force in 1987, originally training as a telecommunications technician, before commissioning into what is now the Cyberspace Profession. He has held various appointments in cyber operations, intelligence, IT service management, and has been responsible for managing the careers of cyber officers. 

He was promoted to Wing Commander in 2017 and was assigned to the NATO Combined Air Operations Centre at Uedem in Germany. This was followed by 3 years as the cyber operations lead in the Air & Space Warfare Centre at RAF Waddington. He joined the Defence Cyber Academy in 2022, leading the delivery of specialist cyber training and broader education. 

Whilst serving, Paul has gained two technical undergraduate degrees, holds an MA from King’s College London and an MSc in Cyberspace Operations from Cranfield University. He also holds several industry certifications and is a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Information Technology Professional. In 2021 he was selected for the Chief of the Air Staff’s Portal Fellowship and is currently researching for a part-time PhD in War Studies at King’s College London, focussing on cyber operations within wider information confrontation. He has published extensively on topics related to cyberspace and information warfare.