
King’s Commendation for Valuable Service (KCVS) – Lieutenant Colonel Shane Burton (The Royal Gurkha Rifles)
SO1 J3 Land Ops Team Leader Operation SCORPIUS Northwood – January 2022 – Sep 2023
Lieutenant Colonel Shane Burton was swiftly called into action to enact the Joint Contingency plan for the withdrawal of Her Majesty’s Ambassador Kyiv (Ukraine) and her staff, under significant ministerial scrutiny.
He was subsequently responsible for planning and executing the reinsertion of the Embassy team and military support to Kyiv, providing the first western presence in Ukraine post the invasion.
He led the development of operational planning across Government engagement and with the risk faced by the deployed force consistently central to his thinking, ensured appropriate measures were in place to reduce risk to life.
His forethought and leadership undoubtedly contributed to the protection of life. He has been foremost in Defence’s efforts to support Ukraine at all levels and has demonstrated the utmost commitment and dedication at an unprecedented tempo, in pursuit of operational success.