Educated at Glyn Grammar School in Surrey, England, Air Vice-Marshal Ray Lock began his RAF career in 1977 as an Officer Cadet at Bristol University, from where he graduated with an Honours Degree in Mechanical Engineering.  On completion of flying training in 1983 he became a Qualified Flying Instructor on the Jet Provost aircraft based at RAF Cranwell, earning the A1 Exceptional Instructor Rating.  This was followed by a tour in Germany on 16 Squadron at RAF Laarbruch, flying the Tornado GR1.  In 1990 he was promoted to Squadron Leader and posted as Flight Commander on IX Squadron at RAF Bruggen.  During this time he helped establish the initial RAF Detachment at Muharraq, Bahrain, on Operation DESERT SHIELD (GRANBY), and, on his return in January 1991, he flew combat missions during Operation DESERT STORM.  He remained at Bruggen for a further tour as the Station's Standards and Evaluation Pilot, and was posted to Headquarters Strike Command as the Fast Jet Staff Officer within the Command Flight Safety organization in 1993.

On promotion to Wing Commander, and following completion of the RAF Advanced Staff Course in 1995, he was posted to RAF Valley as Chief Instructor, Advanced Tactical Training Unit.  During this tour he became a Qualified Tactics and a Pilot Navigation Instructor on the Hawk aircraft.  In 1999 he joined the Directing Staff of the Joint Services Command and Staff College, initially at Bracknell and subsequently through its move to Shrivenham.  Promoted to Group Captain in November 2000, he commanded the RAF Detachment at Ali Al Salem in Kuwait as part of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH (BOLTON/RESINATE SOUTH) until May 2001.  He was then posted to RAF Lyneham to conduct C-130J conversion and assumed command of RAF Lyneham in March 2002.  In early April 2003, he was deployed to Basrah to re-open the International Airport during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (TELIC).  The first military flight landed on 25 April and he remained in command of the Airport until July.  Group Captain Lock was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the operational honours list of April 2002 and was made an Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty The Queen in December 2002.

On leaving RAF Lyneham in December 2003, he relinquished his Aide-de-Camp appointment and completed the Higher Command and Staff Course at the Defence Academy, Shrivenham, after which he undertook a tour as Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff J3 Operations Support at the Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood, where he was responsible for targeting, rules of engagement, information operations, geo-spatial support and force protection of United Kingdom’s forces on overseas operations.  He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List of June 2004.

Promoted to Air Commodore on his deployment to the Combined Air Operations Centre in Al Udeid, Qatar, in November 2005, he directed coalition air operations throughout Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa.  In April 2006, he took up an appointment as Assistant Chief of Staff A7 at Headquarters RAF Strike Command, now Air Command, where he delivered the Command’s operational training and oversaw the Joint Ground Based Air Defence and Joint Force Air Component Headquarters.  He returned to the Joint Services Command and Staff College in November 2007 as Assistant Commandant Air and Director of the Advanced Command and Staff Course, and took up the position of Director Joint Doctrine, Air and Space at the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre in December 2009.

In June 2010 he was promoted to Air Vice-Marshal and appointed as Commandant of the Joint Services Command and Staff College.