 He assumed command of 16 Air Assault Brigade in December 2002, which deployed as part of Operation Telic, the British contribution to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.On 1 May 2007, he replaced Dutch Major General Ton van Loon as Regional Command South in Afghanistan for a six-month period.This NATO ISAF command was responsible for southern Afghanistan, where some of the most intensive combat operations against the Taliban took place.