Mark's grandfather served all six years of World War II in the RAF's 372 Squadron and his other grandfather served in the Tank Corps of the British Army of the Rhine in the 1940s. Mark's great uncle served in the Highland Light Infantry and was killed in action at the Battle of Normandy 1944.

Mark joined the Royal Navy as it is the one service that has capabilities in all three domains of land, sea, and air. The Royal Navy also has the ability to project force anywhere around the world… a unique strength with its 7000 Royal Marines, 170 combat aircraft, 76 ships and 10 submarines.

Joining in 1996, Mark passed the Admiralty Interview Board and first served at sea aboard the destroyer HMS Gloucester, before passing out from Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth. He served at sea again aboard the frigate HMS Richmond before selection for specialist training. In 2005 he won the coveted HMS Wildfire 'Best Shot' trophy for his marksmanship with the SA80 assault rifle. In May 2005 he presented the unit history of HMS Wildfire to Prince Michael of Kent and in 2007 he captained HMS Wildfire's fencing team. He is a graduate of the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany and is also a graduate of the Joint Services Command and Staff College.