This role is as the executive Defence Sector lead at one of Australia’s Tier 1 construction companies. This includes work winning, strategic planning and relationship management across Defence, Government and the wider Defence industry stakeholder set.  It includes accountability for business, commercial and technical aspects of Defence work.  Defence projects are Australia wide with a 40 year construction record in multiple sectors.  

This appointment was the Australian lead for Counter-Terrorism policy globally on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs. This involved stakeholder engagement internationally with all Australia’s key strategic partners – global and regional. A key duty was to lead CT foreign policy deliberations and discussions within the Federal Government CT interagency framework. This role extended to states/territories, civil society, the humanitarian and private sectors. The role involved hosting, running and being accountable across multilateral forums including the Quad CT working group, the US-Japan-AUS trilateral and the ASEAN CT dialogue. The appointment including the Australian Foreign Minister in certain CT forums including the Defeat DAESH Coalition and at United Nations CT forums. The role involved planning and execution around complex interagency challenges such as the management and return of foreign fighters and families.  

This appointment is as the Chief of Defence Forces principal operations and military strategy coordinator, planner and executor of current and future military commitments. It is the lead appointment for Federal and State/Territory inter-agency engagement, including DFAT, HA, EMA, and has a key role in briefing and advising federal Government Ministers. During 2020 this has included lead responsibility for coordinating the Defence bush fire response and support to COVID19 measures across the Nation. It includes the responsibility to leads military to military engagement with Australia’s key allies, partners and friends. It encompasses the full range of ADF activities and capabilities including the most sensitive and classified. It requires complex problem solving and the capacity for making risk based assessments and time sensitive decision making. 

This appointment is the leading deputy role for the planning and execution of all Australian Defence Force operational plans, activities, exercises and operations conducted domestically and offshore. It involves a strong interagency coordination role and management of a range of formal overseas military operational links, notably with the United States and Indonesia. It included responsibility for design and execution of major multi-national collective training activities Such as Exercise Talisman Sabre, the largest military exercise in the Western world. The role required regular acting as the Chief of Joint Operations and responsibility for governance, oversight, command and leadership of every aspect of Australia’s domestic, regional and global military activity. This included regular and extensive engagement with Pacific and regional partners. This also includes responsibility for domestic and international humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

This appointment is the senior Australian embedded officer in the US Army and only command appointment held by any Australian. The role is Deputy to the US Army four star commander responsible for all US Army engagement with 36 nations across the Indo-Pacific. It includes responsibility for aspects of a range of contingency plans, exercises and operations involving 106,000 troops assigned to the Pacific Army. It included specific lead for military to military engagement with 15 nations including Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan and China.  It involves integration of all organisational efforts with a highly diverse joint, interagency and multi-national stakeholders at senior levels. During this appointment he led the US joint onteragencypallning for Non-Combatant Evacuations off the Korean Peninsula.

This appointment was the second most senior Coalition combatant commander in Iraq at the head of a 19 nation effort to combat ISIS during 2016. This year saw a reversal of ISIS gains, the clearance of the Euphrates and Tigris River Valleys and significant advances culminating in the attack to liberate Mosul. As Deputy Commander he covered down on all aspects of command and led for the conduct targeting and influence operations and liaison with the interagency and international organisations [eg UN]. The appointment required constant engagement with senior Iraqi military and national security leaders. It also required constant interaction with the leaders and soldiers of 19 troop contributing nations. He was lead interlocutor with the Iraqi Government Interagency, the United Nations, International Organisations and a range of civil society organisations and actors. 

This appointment encompasses complete responsibility for the Armies largest combat formation based in Townsville, North Queensland. He was specifically appointed as a change agent to implement the Army’s reform Agenda – Plan Beersheeba. The Brigade [one of only three in the Army] is based on 8 major combat units employing all the major systems and weapons available across the Army.  It is manned by 3500 soldiers.  Responsibilities include preparation of forces for deployment on operations, the management of readiness and training, the modernization and development of the Brigade and all aspects of leadership, personnel management, and sustainment.  The Brigade also leads the Army amphibious force development and sustainment. The appointment also includes responsibility for all ADF personnel and activities in Nth Qld. During this posting he has led and organized a series of responses in support of operations in the Middle East and 4 major disaster assistance efforts. [TC ITA, TC MARCIA, Vanuatu, Philippines]

This was a lead officer in the redesign and implementation of a new approach to the execution of the Coalition effort in Afghanistan – Afghans First. The operations deputy responsible for planning, oversight and execution of the war in Afghanistan on behalf of the Force [130,000 Coalition troops]. Duties required constant engagement with multiple Coalition [51 nations], international agencies and organisations, NATO, NGOs,  multiple civilian security agencies and the Afghan National Security Forces. This included lead responsibility to the Force Commander for civilian casualty mitigation and coordinating responses to the insider threat. Key actions during this tour included development of the border management plan and a revision of the capstone campaign plan for the war in Afghanistan.

This appointment required sponsoring all capability development and acquisition of future land capabilities for the Department of Defence. This included the managing, oversight and guidance of capability development submissions on behalf of Defence to the Government. This role required the capacity to systematically analyse the needs of the force and coordinate the Departmental effort to shape the needs into defined, costed, feasible capability proposals.  Major capabilities included the Army Replacement Truck Project [Land 121], the Army Digital Networking Projects [Land 200], the Artillery Replacement Project [Land 17] and all Special Forces Projects.

Responsible for all aspects of Special Operations Capability Development and the planning, oversight and conduct of ADF unconventional operations.  This role saw a sustained support to operations in Afghanistan and leadership for the design and development of the Special Operations 2020 Concept and Force Modernization Review – a fundamental assessment of the way ahead for Special Operations in Australia.  This involved wide stakeholder engagement, the design and execution of complex capability development proposals and the rapid fielding of new capabilities in support of a diverse range of operations around the world.

Responsible for all aspects of Special Operations Capability Development and the planning, oversight and conduct of ADF unconventional operations.  This role saw a sustained support to operations in Afghanistan and leadership for the design and development of the Special Operations 2020 Concept and Force Modernization Review – a fundamental assessment of the way ahead for Special Operations in Australia. This involved wide stakeholder engagement, the design and execution of complex capability development proposals and the rapid fielding of new capabilities in support of a diverse range of operations around the world.