[2] Wigston was commissioned into the Royal Air Force on 23 October 1986 on a university cadetship, with the rank of acting pilot officer.

[2][14] After assignments at the Ministry of Defence, he went on to be director of air operations at the International Security Assistance Force Headquarters in Afghanistan in 2011.

[3] Wigston was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in recognition of his services in Afghanistan on 22 March 2013.

[15] Wigston was promoted to air vice-marshal on 20 January 2015,[16] and appointed Commander British Forces Cyprus and Sovereign Base Areas Administrator (SBAA).

[28][29][30][31] In April 2023, Sky News obtained a leaked transcript that Wigston said he would "test the limits of the law" to fast-track the promotion of women and ethnic minorities over white male employees as part of his personal campaign to broaden diversity.

[32][33][34] Wigston subsequently admitted to "mistakes and failings" after it was revealed that the former RAF head of recruitment had identified "around 160 cases" of discrimination against white men.

[34][35][36] Wigston apologised for these mistakes during his appearance before a House of Commons Committee in February 2023, but did not resign despite his policy's reported risks to national security and preparedness.