Vice Admiral John Henry Stuart McAnally, CB, LVO is National President of The Royal Naval Association, President of the Sea Cadet Unit TS Barrosa, and a Trustee and Governor of the Royal Corps of Commissionaires. He completed 7 years as Chairman of the Naval and Military Club (In & Out Ltd) in 2019 and is about to take office as President of the International Maritime Confederation for the second time.

Vice Admiral John McAnally was educated in London at Willington and Westminster Schools.  He entered the Royal Navy, through a scholarship to Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, in 1962. A graduate of the long and advanced navigation  courses,  he  has  navigated  seven  ships  including a US  destroyer, an Australian frigate and aircraft carrier,  and   HMY  BRITANNIA   from  where  he  was made  LVO. 

Other sea appointments have included Second in Command of the destroyer HMS BIRMINGHAM and command of the minehunter IVESTON, the frigates TORQUAY, ALACRITY, ARIADNE, and HERMIONE and the 6th Frigate Squadron.  He completed the RN Staff Course in 1978 and was a member of the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1992 and subsequently of the Higher Command and Staff Course before becoming Director of Naval Logistics Policy in 1993. 

From 1994-1996 he was Director of the Naval Staff and Deputy to the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff.  He was promoted to Rear Admiral on taking up the appointment of Flag Officer Training and Recruiting and Chief Executive of the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency in January 1996 where he led development, through contractual negotiation to its first two years of implementation, of an innovative Partnering Arrangement with a Joint Venture Company specially formed for the purpose.

He became Commandant of the world renowned Royal College of Defence Studies, in August 1998, in the rank of Vice Admiral.

After leaving the Active List of the Royal Navy VADM McAnally became Naval then Senior Military Adviser to Flagship Training Ltd from 2001-2010 and from 2001-2003 was also an Independent Chairman of Selection Boards for retired Armed Forces Officers competing for Civil Service posts.

He lives in Old Portsmouth and London. He is a Younger Brother of Trinity House, a Member of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners, a frequent commentator on Defence matters and a member of 5 golf clubs and 4 golf societies.