| Duncan Lewis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1954 (age 58) |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/branch | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1975 – 2005 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands held | Special Air Service Regiment Commander Sector West UNTAET Special Operations Commander Australia |
| Battles/wars | 1982 Lebanon War (UNTSO) International Force for East Timor |
| Awards | Officer of the Order of Australia Distinguished Service Cross Conspicuous Service Cross |
| Other work | Secretary of Defence National Security Adviser to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet |
Duncan Edward Lewis AO, DSC, CSC (born 1954), is a retired Australian Army officer and former Commander Special Forces. He is currently the Australian Secretary of Defence.
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Duncan Lewis graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1975. Following graduation, he was assigned to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New South Wales and a Graduate Diploma in Defense Studies and Management from Deakin University. He attended the British Army Staff College, Camberley and the U.S. Army War College.[1]
During his career, Lewis served three tours with the Special Air Service Regiment, later commanding the Regiment between 1990 and 1992, where, for his services, Lewis was decorated with the Conspicuous Service Cross.[2]
Between 1994 and 1996, Lewis was Army Attache in Jakarta, and during the INTERFET period he was appointed the Australian Defence Force spokesman on East Timor.
Duncan Lewis was promoted to Brigadier in January 2000 and appointed Commander Sector West UNTAET in East Timor, where he commanded Australian and New Zealand forces. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his accomplishments with the unit.[3]
Lewis assumed his appointment as Commander Special Forces in January 2001, and was later promoted to the rank of Major General on 19 December 2002. In the Australia Day Honors list of 2005, Lewis was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia.[4]
Subsequent to his retirement from the Army in 2005, Lewis was appointed to the position of First Assistant Secretary of the National Security Division in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. In December 2008, he began serving as National Security Adviser to the Rudd Labor Government.[1] On 5 August 2011 it was announced that he would be appointed the secretary of the Department of Defence, effective as of early September.[5] Lewis is the first former military officer to be appointed to this position.[6]
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| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by New creation |
Special Operations Commander 2002 – 2004 |
Succeeded by Major General Mike Hindmarsh |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by Dr Ian Watt |
Secretary of Defence 2011- |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by New creation |
National Security Adviser 2008-2011 |
Succeeded by Dr Margot McCarthy |
