| John Graham Caligari | |
|---|---|
Brig. Caligari with Rear Adm. Carol M. Pottenger during Talisman Saber 2007 |
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| Born | 1960 Brisbane, Queensland |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/branch | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1979–present |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands held | 3rd Brigade 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Operation Paladin Operation Solace East Timor War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Member of the Order of Australia |
Major General John Graham Caligari DSC AM, is a senior officer of the Australian Army. His current appointment is Head Modernisation and Strategic Plans – Army (HMSP-A).
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Caligari was born in Brisbane in 1960. He graduated from Marist College Canberra in 1978, and entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon the following year where he undertook training to become an officer in the Australian Army.[1][2]
Upon graduating from Duntroon in 1982, Caligari was assigned to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps and was posted to the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR), an infantry unit that his father, Barry Caligari, commanded.[1] In 1989, Caligari was in the Middle East as a United Nations observer on the Lebanese/Israeli border with UNTSO, and subsequently at at UNTSO Headquarters in Jerusalem (Operation Paladin). He took his wife, Narelle, a nurse, and his twin sons, then aged nine months, with him to Israel. From late 1990, he was a rifle company commander in the 1st Battalion. In 1993 he was an operations officer of the 1st Battalion Group deployed to Somalia as part of Operation Solace, for which he was awarded a Chief of the Defence Force Commendation. In June 2000, he deployed as Commander of the 1st Battalion Ready Group on HMAS Manoora for the evacuation of Australians from the Solomon Islands (Operation Plumbob).[1][2]
His next deployment was to East Timor after it achieved independence in 1999. "The highlight of his career"[2] was commanding the 1st Battalion Group on operations along the Timor Leste-Indonesian border with the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), as part of Operation Tanager. For his command and leadership on this operation he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.[1][2] Caligari oversaw numerous reforms while Chief of Staff, Headquarters Training Command – Army in 2005–06, under Major General Richard Wilson.[1][2]
In 2007–08 Caligari commanded of the Townsville-based 3rd Brigade, as a brigadier.[3] In January 2009 he was appointed Deputy Commander Joint Task Force 633 – Afghanistan as part of Operation Slipper, a position he filled for six months.[2] Promoted to major general in mid-2009, his current appointment is as Head Modernisation and Strategic Plans – Army (HMSP-A).
His father, Barry,[4][5] retired as Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion in 1983. Caligari and his father hold the distinction of being the only father-son duo in the Australian Army to have commanded the same battalion. Caligari's father was his son's commanding officer for two months when he graduated from Duntroon in 1982.[1][2]
He married a nurse, Narelle, circa 1987 and they have three children; twin sons and a girl. Caligari's twin sons Ben and David, aged 19, were inducted into the Australian Defence Force Academy in 2008.[1] His daughter, Anne, is currently studying Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Canberra.
