Chief of Army (Australia)

Chief of Army (Australia)

Incumbent David Morrison since 24 June 2011
Style	Lieutenant General
Term length	Three years (renewable)

The Chief of Army is the most senior appointment in the Australian Army, responsible to both the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) and the Secretary of Defence (SECDEF). The rank associated with the position is Lieutenant General (3-star).

1 History
2 Appointees
3 Images – Chief of Army
4 Images – Chief of the General Staff
5 See also
6 Notes
7 References

History

The first Commander of the Australian Army was titled General Officer Commanding, Australian Military Forces, in line with the usual British practice of the time.^[1] Experience soon showed that the position concentrated more power than the Ministers for Defence—of whom there were twelve in as many years in 1901–1913—liked.^[2] Moreover, the British Army had encountered administrative problems in the Second Boer War which led to the abolition of the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Forces there in 1904, and its replacement by an Army Board.^[3]

In 1904, Minister for Defence Anderson Dawson commissioned a report which recommended a similar system for Australia, with a Military Board consisting of four military members, the minister, and a finance member. This was implemented by his successor, James Whiteside McCay. However instead of creating a Chief of the General Staff as per the report, McCay's Military Board consisted of only three military members, the Deputy Adjutant General, the Chief of Ordnance, and the Chief of Intelligence.^[4] The post of Chief of the General Staff was finally created by the new Minister of Defence, George Pearce, in 1909, with Colonel William Bridges becoming the first Chief of the General Staff. The military members of the Military Board then became the Chief of the General Staff, Adjutant General, Chief of Ordnance, and Quartermaster General.^[5]

During the Second World War, the threat of invasion led to a reversion to the old system. A Commander in Chief, General Sir Thomas Blamey, was appointed, and the Military Board was suspended, with its powers being transferred to the Commander in Chief. The post of Chief of the General Staff remained, but was now subordinate to the Commander in Chief.^[6] This was successful from a military point of view but problem of a concentration of power recurred and, after the war ended, the government decided to re-form the Military Board. Blamey was replaced by Lieutenant General Vernon Sturdee in 1945 and the next year the post of Commander in Chief was again abolished, with Sturdee becoming Chief of the General Staff.^[7]

The system continued until the reforms of Arthur Tange in 1973. The three services were unified under the Department of Defence. The Military Board was abolished and the Chief of the General Staff became subordinate to the Chief of the Defence Force Staff and the Secretary of Defence.^[8] Reflecting this change from a staff to a command role, the post was renamed Chief of Army in 1997.^[9]

Appointees

The following table lists all those who have held the post of Chief of Army or its preceding positions. Ranks and honours are as at the completion of their stint in said position.

Rank and pre-nominal	Name	Post-nominal(s)	Term began	Term ended
General Officer Commanding Australian Military Forces
Major General Sir	Hutton, EdwardEdward Hutton	KCB, KCMG	01902-01-2929 January 1902	01904-11-1010 November 1904
Major General	Finn, HarryHarry Finn	CB, DCM	01904-11-1010 November 1904	01905-01-1212 January 1905
Chief of the General Staff
Colonel	Bridges, William ThrosbyWilliam Throsby Bridges	CMG	01909-01-011 January 1909	01909-05-2525 May 1909
Major General Sir	Hoad, JohnJohn Hoad	KCMG	01909-05-2626 May 1909	01911-05-3030 May 1911
Lieutenant Colonel	Wilson, Francis AdrianFrancis Adrian Wilson	DSO	01911-06-011 June 1911	01912-05-1010 May 1912
Brigadier General	Gordon, Joseph MariaJoseph Maria Gordon	CB	01912-05-1111 May 1912	01914-07-3131 July 1914
Major General	Legge, James GordonJames Gordon Legge	CMG	01914-08-011 August 1914	01915-05-2323 May 1915
Colonel	Irving, GodfreyGodfrey Irving		01915-05-2424 May 1915	01915-12-3131 December 1915
Colonel	Foster, Hubert JohnHubert John Foster		01916-01-011 January 1916	01917-09-3030 September 1917
Major General	Legge, James GordonJames Gordon Legge	CB, CMG	01917-10-011 October 1917	01920-05-3131 May 1920
Lieutenant General Sir	White, BrudenellBrudenell White	KCMG, KCVO, CB, DSO	01920-06-011 June 1920	01923-06-1010 June 1923
General Sir	Chauvel, HarryHarry Chauvel	GCMG, KCB	01923-06-1111 June 1923	01930-04-1515 April 1930
Major General	Coxen, Walter AdamsWalter Adams Coxen	CB, CMG, DSO	01930-04-1616 April 1930	01931-09-3030 September 1931
Major General Sir	Bruche, Julius HenryJulius Henry Bruche	KCB, CMG	01931-10-011 October 1931	01935-04-2020 April 1935
Lieutenant General	Lavarack, JohnJohn Lavarack	CB, CMG, DSO	01935-04-2121 April 1935	01939-10-1212 October 1939
Lieutenant General	Squires, ErnestErnest Squires	CB, DSO, MC	01939-10-1313 October 1939	01940-01-2626 January 1940
Major General	Northcott, JohnJohn Northcott	CB	01940-01-2727 January 1940	01940-03-1717 March 1940
General Sir	White, BrudenellBrudenell White	KCB, KCMG, KCVO, DSO	01940-03-1818 March 1940	01940-08-1313 August 1940
Lieutenant General	Sturdee, VernonVernon Sturdee	CBE, DSO	01940-08-1414 August 1940	01942-09-099 September 1942
Lieutenant General	Northcott, JohnJohn Northcott	CB	01942-09-1010 September 1942	01945-11-3030 November 1945
Lieutenant General Sir	Sturdee, VernonVernon Sturdee	KBE, CB, DSO	01945-12-011 December 1945	01950-04-1616 April 1950
Lieutenant General Sir	Rowell, SydneySydney Rowell	KBE, CB	01950-04-1717 April 1950	01954-12-1515 December 1954
Lieutenant General Sir	Wells, HenryHenry Wells	KBE, CB, DSO	01954-12-1616 December 1954	01958-03-2222 March 1958
Lieutenant General Sir	Garrett, RagnarRagnar Garrett	KBE, CB	01958-03-2323 March 1958	01960-06-3030 June 1960
Lieutenant General Sir	Pollard, Reginald GeorgeReginald George Pollard	KBE, CB, DSO	01960-07-011 July 1960	01963-01-2020 January 1963
Lieutenant General Sir	Wilton, JohnJohn Wilton	KBE, CB, DSO	01963-01-2121 January 1963	01966-05-1818 May 1966
Lieutenant General Sir	Daly, Thomas JosephThomas Joseph Daly	KBE, CB, DSO	01966-05-1919 May 1966	01971-05-1818 May 1971
Lieutenant General Sir	Brogan, MervynMervyn Brogan	KBE, CB	01971-05-1919 May 1971	01973-11-1919 November 1973
Lieutenant General	Hassett, FrancisFrancis Hassett	AC, CB, CBE, DSO, LVO	01973-11-2020 November 1973	01975-11-2323 November 1975
Lieutenant General	MacDonald, ArthurArthur MacDonald	CB, OBE	01975-11-2424 November 1975	01977-04-2020 April 1977
Lieutenant General Sir	Dunstan, DonaldDonald Dunstan	KBE, CB	01977-04-2121 April 1977	01982-02-1414 February 1982
Lieutenant General Sir	Bennett, PhillipPhillip Bennett	KBE, AO, DSO	01982-02-1515 February 1982	01984-02-1212 February 1984
Lieutenant General	Gration, PeterPeter Gration	AO, OBE	01984-02-1313 February 1984	01987-04-1212 April 1987
Lieutenant General	O'Donnell, LawrenceLawrence O'Donnell	AC	01987-04-1313 April 1987	01990-04-1515 April 1990
Lieutenant General	Coates, JohnJohn Coates	AC, MBE	01990-04-1313 April 1990	01992-04-3030 April 1992
Lieutenant General	Grey, JohnJohn Grey	AC	01992-05-011 May 1992	01995-07-077 July 1995
Lieutenant General	Sanderson, JohnJohn Sanderson	AC	01995-07-088 July 1995	01997-02-1818 February 1997
Chief of Army
Lieutenant General	Sanderson, JohnJohn Sanderson	AC	01997-02-1919 February 1997	01998-06-2323 June 1998
Lieutenant General	Hickling, FrankFrank Hickling	AO, CSC	01998-06-2424 June 1998	02000-07-1515 July 2000
Lieutenant General	Cosgrove, PeterPeter Cosgrove	AC, MC	02000-07-01July 2000	02002-06-2727 June 2002
Lieutenant General	Leahy, PeterPeter Leahy	AC	02002-06-2828 June 2002	02008-07-033 July 2008
Lieutenant General	Gillespie, KenKen Gillespie	AC, DSC, CSM	02008-07-044 July 2008	02011-06-2424 June 2011
Lieutenant General	Morrison, DavidDavid Morrison	AO	02011-06-2424 June 2011	Incumbent

Images – Chief of Army

Images – Chief of the General Staff

Notes

^ Wood 2006, p. 13
^ Wood 2006, pp. 50–51
^ Wood 2006, pp. xv–xxi
^ Wood 2006, pp. 54–59
^ Wood 2006, p. 66
^ Palazzo 2001, p. 66
^ Palazzo 2001, pp. 221–222
^ Palazzo 2001, pp. 316–318
^ Palazzo 2001, p. 323

References

Beaumont, Joan (2001), Australian Defence: Sources and Statistics, South Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press, pp. 75–76, ISBN 0 19 554118 9
Palazzo, Albert (2001), The Australian Army: A History of Its Organisation 1901–2001, South Melbourne: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0195515064
Wood, James (2006), Chiefs of the Australian army: Higher Command of the Australian Military Forces 1901–1914, Loftus, New South Wales: Australian Military History Publications, ISBN 1 876439 40 8

Leadership of the Australian Defence Force

Chief of the Defence Force (CDF)

Vice Chief of the Defence Force (VCDF) • Chief, Capability Development Group (CCDG) • Chief of Joint Operations (CJOPS)

Chief of Navy (CN) • Chief of Army (CA) • Chief of Air Force (CAF)

Deputy Chief of Navy (DCN) • Deputy Chief of Army (DCA) • Deputy Chief of Air Force (DCAF)

Commander Australian Fleet (COMAUSFLT) • Commander Forces Command (CFC) • Air Commander Australia (ACAUST)

Australian Army

Components	Army Reserve · List of current regiments · List of Australian Army Corps · Current structure

Equipment	Current · Historical · Aircraft

History	Australian Imperial Force · Australian and New Zealand Army Corps

Personnel	Chiefs of the Army · Officer rank insignia · Enlisted rank insignia