Promoted to air commodore on 1 July 1984, Graydon became Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters No. 11 Group at RAF Bentley Priory in January 1985. He went on to be Assistant Chief of Staff at the Policy Division at Headquarters SHAPE in June 1986 and was promoted to air vice marshal on 1 July 1986. Promoted to air marshal on 5 April 1989, he was appointed Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Support Command that month and appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1989 Birthday Honours. Promoted to air chief marshal on 31 May 1990, he became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Strike Command serving in that role during the Gulf War in 1991.