General John Stuart Baker AC, DSM |
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Born | 24 February 1936 Melbourne, Victoria |
Died | 9 July 2007 Canberra, ACT |
(aged 71)
Allegiance | Commonwealth of Australia |
Service/branch | Australian Army |
Years of service | 1954–1998 |
Rank | General |
Commands held | Australian Defence Force Director Defence Intelligence Organisation |
Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Awards | Companion of the Order of Australia Distinguished Service Medal Mention in Despatches |
General John Stuart Baker, AC, DSM (24 February 1936 – 9 July 2007) was an Australian army general. He was Chief of the Australian Defence Force from July 1995 to July 1998. From 1990 to 1992, he was Director of the Defence Intelligence Organisation.[1]
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Baker joined the Australian Army in 1954, where he graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1957, enlisting with the Royal Australian Engineers corps[2] later graduating from the University of Melbourne with a degree in civil engineering.
His first regimental posting was a one-year appointment in Papua New Guinea. This was followed by a stint with the 1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit during the Vietnam War, where he was Mentioned in Despatches. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1971, Colonel in 1979, Brigadier in 1982, Major General in 1987 and General in 1995.[3]
In 1987, Chief of the Defence Force General P. C. Gration tasked the then Brigadier Baker to:[4]
conduct a study of the existing ADF command arrangements in order to recommend further development to meet likely requirements into the 21st century for both low and high levels of operations.
One of the principal aims of this study was to determine the optimal command arrangements for ADF air power. The final report, commonly referred to as the Baker Report, was published in March 1988. Despite extensive reference being made to the command and control challenges posed by air power, Baker did not provide definitive guidance on how the ADF should structure its command arrangements to optimise the development and employment of air power. However, Chapter 7 of the report strongly advocated the creation of NORCOM, a recommendation that was soon adopted by the ADF.
The Baker Report remains the seminal work on command and control in the ADF.
Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) | (1995)[5] | |
Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) | (1990)[6] | |
Member of the Order of Australia (AM) | (1980) | |
Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (DSM) | (1998)[7] | |
Australian Active Service Medal 1945-1975 | Vietnam | |
Vietnam Medal with oak leaf for Mentioned in Dispatches (Note 1) | ||
Australian Service Medal 1945-1975 | Papua New Guinea | |
Centenary Medal | (2001)[8] | |
Defence Force Service Medal with Federation Star (5 clasps) | (40–44 years service) | |
National Medal with clasp | (1977)[9][10] | |
Australian Defence Medal | ||
Vietnam Campaign Medal (Republic of Vietnam) | ||
US Commendation Medal – U.S. Army | [11] | |
US Legion of Merit – Commander | [11] | |
Republic of the Philippines Legion of Honor - Commander | [11] | |
Republic of Singapore Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) Distinguished Service Order (Military) | [11] |
Notes:
During General Baker's tenure as Chief of Defence Force, the Royal Australian Engineers arranged for his portrait to be painted by leading Australian 20th century artist, Sir William Dargie. The portrait (1997) hangs at the RAE's School of Military Engineering in Sydney, but was also used at General Baker's funeral in Canberra at the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 2007.[12]
On 7 March 2009 the Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, officially opened the "General John Baker Complex",[13][14] housing the Headquarters Joint Operations Command from which joint command of the Australian Defence Force is exercised by the Chief of Joint Operations. The complex is some 25 km from the national capital, Canberra, on the Kings Highway between the towns of Queanbeyan and Bungendore. After Mr Rudd named the complex, Mrs Margaret Baker unveilled a bronze bust of General Baker.[13] The bust was sculpted by Hal Holman [1]
Military offices | ||
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Preceded by Admiral Alan Beaumont |
Chief of the Defence Force 1995 – 1998 |
Succeeded by Admiral Chris Barrie |
Preceded by Vice Admiral Alan Beaumont |
Vice Chief of the Defence Force 1992 – 1995 |
Succeeded by Vice Admiral Robert Walls |
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