Harding was commissioned into the Royal Air Force as an
acting pilot officer on national service on 3 September 1952 and given a permanent commission in the same rank on 15 October 1952. He was promoted to the substantive rank of
pilot officer on 12 August 1953 and posted to
No. 12 Squadron flying
Canberra bombers in 1954. and then, having been promoted to
wing commander on 1 July 1968, he joined the Defence Policy Staff at the Ministry of Defence in 1970. he became Station Commander at
RAF Bruggen in July 1974. Promoted to
air commodore on 1 January 1976, he was then made Director of Defence Policy at the
Ministry of Defence in 1976 and Assistant Chief of Staff (Plans and Policy) at
SHAPE on 18 July 1978. He was promoted to
air vice-marshal on 1 January 1979 and appointed a
Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1980
Birthday Honours. , a type flown by Harding in the UK and Australia Harding became Air Officer Commanding
No.11 Group on 7 January 1981, and
Vice-Chief of the Air Staff with the acting rank of
air marshal on 28 August 1982. He was advanced to
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1983
New Year Honours. Promoted to
air chief marshal on 1 January 1985, he became
Vice Chief of the Defence Staff early that year. he was advanced to
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1988
New Year Honours. He was made
Air Aide-de-Camp to The Queen on 14 November 1988 and became
Chief of the Air Staff on the same day. As Chief of the Air Staff he advised the British Government on the deployment of air power during the
Gulf War. Promoted to
Marshal of the Royal Air Force on 6 November 1992, Harding became
Chief of the Defence Staff on 31 December 1992 but he resigned in March 1994 after it was revealed by
Max Clifford and the
News of the World that, aged 58, he had had an affair with the 32-year-old Bienvenida Pérez, the Spanish wife of Conservative MP
Antony Buck. In addition to security concerns, and although Harding was a serving officer rather than a politician, the story was embarrassing to the government as it coincided with a string of "
Back to Basics" scandals. Unlike other Marshals of the Royal Air Force who only relinquished their appointments, Harding resigned his commission on 14 June 1994 and consequently ceased to be listed in the Air Force List; however, he was subsequently returned to the list. ==Later career==