Joe Cooper BSc MA CEng MIET MITP

Journal Editorial Board / Director, Royal Signals Institution

After training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1983, Joe completed a wide range of employment within the Army including command at troop, squadron and unit level. Whilst employed at regimental duty, Joe completed operational deployments to Namibia, Sierra Leone (awarded Queen’s Commendation) and the Balkans.

Later in his Army career Joe completed the Advanced Command and Staff Course in the Defence Academy followed by a variety of engineering and operational staff appointments. These included support to the Surgeon General as director of the Defence Medical IT programme which followed an operational tour in Afghanistan as Chief of Staff Bastion Joint Operating Base in 2012.   

Joe’s final Army appointment was Commander 2 Signal Group from 2015 to 2018. The Group was responsible for the delivery of telecommunications to support UK operations. Prior to retirement from the Army, Joe become a Chartered Engineer through the Institution of Engineering & Technology.  

Later in 2018, Joe joined the Department for Food and Rural Affairs as a senior civil servant. As a Deputy Director he was responsible for management of the Digital, Data & Technology Services Portfolio. On completion of a two-year Fixed Term Appointment on October 2020, Joe joined the RAF’s Engineering Branch on a fulltime reserves contract which he completed in October 2023.

Joe assumed his current fulltime role, Director Royal Signals Institution in November 2023. The Institution is a Service charity responsible for the professional wellbeing of the Royal Corps of Signals. It promotes professional dialogue and recognises technical achievement.