Major General Arthur Denaro CBE DL was born in 1948 and raised in County Donegal.

He was educated by Benedictine monks at Downside and commissioned from Sandhurst in 1968 into the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars. Later, he became Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for three years where he trained international graduates in the art of leadership and the skills of management.

As a young officer, Major General Arthur Denaro CBE DL spent the majority of his time commanding tank troops in the British Army of the Rhine or involved in clandestine operations worldwide with UK Special Forces, before taking command of the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars, Irish Cavalry Regiment in 1989.

He was one of the highest ranking officers in the British Army to be of foreign nationality.

The highlight of his 35 years as a soldier included commanding his Regiment in the War to Liberate Kuwait. Arthur became Chief of Staff of 44,000 troops during the Balkans conflict (the troops were drawn from no less than 31 different nations and they had to operate in a particularly complex and often cruel environment).

Until Dec 2002, Major General Arthur Denaro CBE DL was the Middle East adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence, a position that he held for 6 years.