Major General Anna-Lee Reilly, Head of Strategic Capability, Engagement and Operations at Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), has been awarded a prestigious Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
This recognition places her among 71 Fellows elected this year, celebrated as some of the most influential figures in engineering, innovation, and defence.
Reilly’s career in the British Army began in 1997 at the Sandhurst Royal Military Academy. A year later, she was commissioned into the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), where her passion for engineering was sparked. Since then, her journey has taken her to challenging environments across the globe, including Germany, Bosnia, and Kosovo, where she led teams of engineers in complex operational settings.
Today, as a Major General, Reilly oversees critical support for UK troops deployed overseas, including managing the Ministry of Defence’s support for Ukraine. Her role focuses on supplying and maintaining equipment, ensuring the resilience of British munitions, and overseeing industrial production.
Speaking on her achievement, Major General Reilly said:
“I am honoured to have been selected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering this year. I have had a varied military career of which I am incredibly proud. As a Fellow, I hope to give as much as I can back to my profession, helping shape the future of the industry and encouraging the next generation of engineers.”
Reilly’s career is filled with firsts. She was the first female engineering officer assigned to the prestigious Household Cavalry Regiment, where she commanded 100 soldiers during the second Gulf War. Later, as a Major, she led an armoured REME company in Canada, supporting a complex armoured infantry battle group.
In 2013, Reilly was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and became commanding officer of an armoured REME battalion, where her extensive experience enabled her to oversee logistics and medical support for thousands of troops. Her progression through the ranks culminated in her appointment as Director of Strategic Capability, Engagement and Operations at DE&S in November 2022.
Recognised Leadership and Impact
Reilly’s election to the Royal Academy of Engineering is a testament to her engineering expertise and leadership in the defence sector.
Andy Start, CEO of DE&S, commended her achievement:
“This is testament to her unique capabilities, exemplary engineering, and Defence career achievements. I have no doubt her contribution to the Academy will be both remarkable and inspiring.”
The Fellowship recognises individuals who have made a significant impact on engineering. Reilly joins an esteemed group of Fellows, including Sir Frank Whittle, inventor of the turbojet engine, and Sir Barnes Wallis, designer of the ‘bouncing bomb’ used in World War Two’s Dambusters raid.
Professor Sir Jim McDonald, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, praised the newest Fellows for their contributions to addressing global challenges:
“Our new Fellows represent some of the most talented people in the world of engineering. Many come from underrepresented groups, helping to tackle issues around a lack of diversity in the profession.”
A well deserved recognition, and great for past and present members of REME to have someone of her talent as a former me of the Corps.
REME battalions must have changed since my day. Then a CO would have commanded a battalion that repaired equipment at Level 2 and Level 3 and recovered damaged or broken-down vehicles, rather than overseeing ‘logistics and medical support for thousands of troops’.
That is interesting isn’t it? Surely a job for an officer from the Really Large Corps or RAMC?
Sometimes but it is quite rare, composite groups are formed on operational deployments, ie a CSS group, but the article does not say that.
I wondered at first whether she commanded one of the Force Support Bns rather than an Armoured Close Support Bn.
Maybe the Force Bns have, by their name, a wider role supporting the kit of other Corps, such as the medical and logistic elements mentioned, and the articles bad wording failed to convey that?
But rereading the article, I’m wrong, it clearly mentions an Armoured REME Bn, who are the Close Support element, in connection with medical and logistics? 🤔
Of course an armoured CS REME Bn supports all equipment at Level 3 in an armoured BCT including attached troops. So not just tanks and IFV/MIVs. If a Med or RLC unit or subunit is attached to the brigade, that REME bn will support that kit at L3.
Maybe General Reilly commanded a CSS bn on ops for a short time which was based on her REME bn?
Yes. But I also know REME like most branches is short of personnel. There must have been something more useful to do than play loggie or doctors and nurses surely?
The article is a bit confusing. Maybe a CSS Bn was formed on Ops based on her REME battalion.
Something does not smell right here. The Canada thing is BATUS. Been set up since the mid seventies. It works like clockwork. Units role through at a canter. There is nothing complex about about BATUS. If you were REME you probably experienced it yourself. The permanent staff there loved it. Not for the complex work that’s for sure.
The article chooses to pull out some of her past appointments to paint a pen picture, including those from way back. She clearly commanded her REME company well over 10 years ago. The RAE will have been far more focused on her more recent appointments and achievements ie those at senior officer level.
Certainly BATUS is mature and much runs on rails but commanding REME units and subunits is not necessarily easy.
BTW, I applied for and was awarded my Chartered Engineer as an EME (Capt). I applied for and was awarded a prestigious Fellow of IMechE as a senior Major. I must have ticked the ‘no publicity’ box!
In my experience places like Canada, Kenya, and Belize suffered from long supply lines. Which generated an almost malaise like attitude. As you say they ran on rails. It was a very slow train though. It was very much day one do this, do it there. Day two do this do it there. It was a very rigid syllabus. Nothing to fit the complex description. If the Reme had it, they fitted it. If not that was a blanket stacker problem.
I think a gloss has been applied to a career. Seen lots of times with my old lot.
I do find this interesting too. She is an engineer (in the modern technical sense not army term) There must be a million and one technical problems she could study for a PhD. Yet the Army is spending taxpayer money on her writing a thesis on women’s issues. An army short of specialists facing many technological problems. Why isn’t she looking at say the issues surrounding deployment of drones as weapons with infantry battalions?
Other service women are judged by the public by how women in the senior ranks got where they are.
Regardless of her sex, it sounds like something that comes under the heading “jobs for the boys”
To many senior officers shuffling paper. We need more grunts not staff officers.
I just find this situation interesting. You would think after all the fighting in the Sandbox and Parliament telling us we are at risk there would be more attention directed to more pressing matters.
A tad unfair. She has achieved very high rank by dint of merit. Most senior officers are in staff jobs rather than in command appointments and they are important. We do need more grunts of course.
More dei nonsense.
Her soldiers say the opposite.
You have inside info? She won’t have commanded soldiers for many years but do tell more!
where her passion for engineering was sparked.
So did she did a technical degree after being commissioned not before? Could you clarify please?
Stephanie, I am not sure how you draw your conclusion. It is strange to choose to commission into REME and only then your passion for engineering was sparked. Usually it is the other way around. I was interested in engineering in my early teens, fixing electrical and mechanical equipment at home, maintaing my trials motorcycle at 15 or 16 and working on my rally car in my late teens, some years before joining the army ie REME.
As for the degree course, when I joined the army it was quite rare for anyone of whatever capbadge to have a degree before Sandhurst. I commissioned into REME in 1975 at age 19 then a bit later read for a degree at Shrivenham graduating in 1979 at age 23. Over time things changed and most but not all then did their degree before Sandhurst.
I am not sure how you can interpret my asking a question as a conclusion.
The line was akin to she joined the navy and found she liked going to sea on ships or she became a doctor and found she liked performing medicine or she became a chef and then found she like cooking. For the most part an interest drives a career path. You don’t take to a path and then find you develop an interest especially a technical sphere. All I wanted was clarification.
Thanks Stephanie. I agree that interest in a field comes before embarking on a career in that field. It did with me.