Geoff Shepherd
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| Geoff Shepherd | |
|---|---|
| January 24, 1952 | |
 Air Marshal G.D. Shepherd, AO |
|
| Nickname | Shep |
| Place of birth | Brisbane, Queensland |
| Allegiance |  Commonwealth of Australia |
| Service/branch |  Royal Australian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1971 - Present |
| Rank | Air Marshal |
| Commands held | No. 6 Squadron RAAF No. 82 Wing RAAF RAAF Air Command Royal Australian Air Force |
| Awards | Officer Of The Order Of Australia Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States) Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera) (Singapore) |
Air Marshal Geoffrey David Shepherd AO (born 24 January 1952) is the current Chief of Air Force (CAF) of the Royal Australian Air Force. He will retire from the Australian Defence Force in July 2008
Contents |
[edit] Service History
Shepherd commenced his RAAF service with the 1971 RAAF Academy intake, graduating in December 1974 with a Bachelor of Science (Physics) degree from Melbourne University.
He had operational flying tours on Mirage III fighter aircraft at RAAF Base Butterworth (Malaysia), the F-111 strike bomber at RAAF Base Amberley, both as a line pilot and as the Training Flight Commander and as a flying instructor at No 1 Flying Training School RAAF Base Point Cook. He has approximately 4500 flying hours, including 2500 hours in the F-111.
He has held staff appointments at 82 Wing (F-111) HQ, as the Assistant Defence Adviser at the Australian High Commission in Singapore, and in Force Development in the field of capability analysis. He also undertook staff training at the Joint Services Staff College.
His command appointments were Commanding Officer of 6 SQN (F-111), in the rank of Wing Commander, and Officer Commanding 82 Wing (F-111), as a Group Captain.
He was promoted to Air Commodore on 1 December 1998 and served two years as the Chief of Staff at HQ Air Command. He was the Director General Operations at the Defence Signals Directorate from January 2001 until October 2002, when he moved on to become Director-General Joint Operations and Plans in Strategic Operations Division.
Air Commodore Shepherd was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day 2000 Honours List.[1]
He was promoted to Air Vice Marshal on 2 December 2003 and appointed Air Commander Australia (ACAUST) taking effect 15 December 2003.
On 23 May 2005, the Minister for Defence announced that, upon promotion to Air Marshal (as of 4 July 2005), Shepherd would succeed Angus Houston as the Chief of Air Force. In June 2006 he was elevated to Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).[2]
[edit] Personal
Shepherd is known throughout the RAAF for calling out "Cooee", a distinctive Australian vocalisation used mainly in the outback, with which he ended his first address as Chief of Air Force.[3]
He attended Brisbane State High School.
He is married to Anne, with whom he has two sons. His interests include gardening, rugby league football, and travelling and understanding other cultures.
[edit] Honours and awards
_ribbon.png/90px-Order_of_Australia_(Military)_ribbon.png){kind=small}
_ribbon.png/90px-Australian_Defence_Medal_(Australia)_ribbon.png){kind=small}
_medal.png/90px-Pingat_Jasa_Gemilang_(Singapore)_medal.png){kind=small}
_ribbon.png/67px-Order_of_Australia_(Military)_ribbon.png){kind=small} |
Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) | (2006)[2] |
| Member of the Order of Australia (AM) | (2000)[1] | |
 |
Australian Service Medal | with SE ASIA clasp |
 |
Defence Force Service Medal with 4 clasps | 30-34 years service |
_ribbon.png/64px-Australian_Defence_Medal_(Australia)_ribbon.png){kind=small} |
Australian Defence Medal | |
 |
Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States) | 18 January 2007[4] |
_medal.png/67px-Pingat_Jasa_Gemilang_(Singapore)_medal.png){kind=small} |
Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera) (Singapore) | (Meritorious Service Medal - Military) 8 May 2007[5] |
[edit] References
- ^ a b It's an Honour - Member of the Order of Australia - 26 January 2000
Citation: For exceptional service to the Royal Australian Air Force in the field of Operations, particularly as the Officer Commanding of Number 82 Wing. - ^ a b It's an Honour - Officer of the Order of Australia - 12 June 2006
Citation: For distinguished service to the Australian Defence Force in senior command and staff appointments. - ^ Shepherd, Geoffrey (19 March 2007). CAF Closing Address. 2007 Air Show Conference. Retrieved on 2007-10-10.
- ^ Australian Air Chief visits Bolling. Bolling Air Force Base (2007-01-19). Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
- ^ Australian Chief of Air Force Receives Prestigious Military Medal. MINDEF Singapore News Releases (2007-05-25). Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Air Marshal Angus Houston AO, AFC |
Chief of Air Force 2005-2008 |
Succeeded by Air Marshal Mark Binskin AM |
| Preceded by Air Vice Marshal John Kindler AO, AFC |
Air Commander, Australia 2003-2005 |
Succeeded by Air Vice Marshal John Quaife AM |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Shepherd, Geoffrey David |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Shepherd, Geoffrey David |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Australian Chief of Air Force |
| DATE OF BIRTH | |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
