| Mark Kelly | |
|---|---|
Kelly in 2005 |
|
| Born | Sydney, New South Wales |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/branch | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1975 –2010 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands held | Joint Task Force 633 Land Command - Australia Deployable Joint Force HQ 1st Division 3rd Brigade 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Commonwealth Monitoring Force, Rhodesia International Force East Timor, INTERFET - Operation Stabilise Iraq War - Operation Catalyst War in Afghanistan - Operation Slipper |
| Awards | Officer of the Order of Australia Distinguished Service Cross Legion of Merit (United States) |
Major General Mark Andrew Kelly AO, DSC is a former senior officer in the Australian Army. He served as Commander Joint Task Force 633 (CJTF 633) commanding all Australian Forces in the Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO) and Afghanistan from 12 January 2009 until 14 January 2010 and as Land Commander Australia (LCAUST) from July 2005 to December 2008. He was appointed as the Repatriation Commissioner on 1 July 2010.
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Mark Andrew Kelly was born in Sydney, New South Wales, and educated at James Ruse Agricultural High School.[1]
Kelly entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon in January 1975, and he graduated in December 1978 and received the Sword of Honour.[2] In the same year, Kelly received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New South Wales.
Allocated to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps he was posted to the 5th/7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. Kelly's first operational deployment occurred when he served with the Commonwealth Monitoring Force in Rhodesia during the Independence elections in 1979/80. Kelly served as the exchange instructor at the British Army's School of Infantry at Warminster between September 1985 and November 1987. He attended the Australian Army Command and Staff College in 1990 and then served as the Brigade Major of 3rd Brigade from January 1991 until December 1992. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in January 1993 and served in staff appointments in Army Headquarters until December 1995. He also completed a Master of Arts in Defence Studies from the University of New South Wales in 1995.
Between December 1995 and December 1997, Kelly was Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. He then moved on promotion to Colonel to Headquarters 1st Division and the Deployable Joint Force Headquarters as the Chief of Staff, a posting that involved deploying the headquarters to East Timor for Operation Stabilise, where he served as the Chief of Staff of INTERFET. Kelly was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honour's List of 2000 for his "exceptional service to the Australian Army" as CO 1 RAR and COFS 1st Division.[3] He attended the Australian Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies at the Australian Defence College in Canberra in 2000.
Kelly was promoted to Brigadier, and appointed to command the 3rd Brigade, Ready Deployment Force from December 2000 until December 2002. He was then posted to Headquarters United States Central Command in Tampa, Florida, serving as the first Director of the Combined Planning Group, planning operations in Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa and Iraq. He was appointed an Officer of the United States Legion of Merit for his exceptional service in that position.
Kelly was promoted to Major General and assumed command of the 1st Division and the Deployable Joint Force Headquarters on 5 July 2004. He then assumed the appointment of Land Commander Australia on 15 July 2005 and served in that role until December 2008. In the Australia Day Honour's List of 2008, Kelly was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia "for distinguished service to the Australian Army in the fields of training, personnel and operations, in particular as the Commander of the 1st Division and as the Land Commander Australia."[4]
In an official ceremony on 12 January 2009, Kelly succeeded Major General Mike Hindmarsh as Commander Joint Task Force 633 (JTF 633), in this position he commanded all Australian forces in the Middle East Area of Operations and Afghanistan for a period of 12 months. He relinquished command of JTF 633 to Major General John Cantwell on 14 January 2010. Kelly was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in the 2011 Australia Day Honours List for his "distinguished leadership, exceptional professionalism and unwavering dedication in an extremely ambiguous and dangerous operational environment" as Commander Joint Task Force 633.[5] Kelly was transferred to the Army's Standby Reserve on 5 June 2010.
On 1 July 2010, Kelly assumed the appointment of Repatriation Commissioner, the Service's Member on the Repatriation Commission and the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission that supports the Department of Veterans’ Affairs in delivering compensation, health care and support to current and former service personnel, widows and dependants.[6][7]
Kelly was appointed as the Colonel Commandant of the Royal Australian Regiment on 1 July 2011.
Kelly is married to Gabrielle and they have a son, Christopher. He enjoys reading, listening to music and he enjoys all sports, especially Rugby and Golf.
| Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) | 26 January 2008 | |
| Member of the Order of Australia (AM) | 26 January 2000 | |
| Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) | 26 January 2011 | |
| Australian Active Service Medal | with 3 clasps EAST TIMOR, ICAT and IRAQ 2003 | |
| International Force East Timor Medal | 2001 | |
| Afghanistan Medal | 2009 | |
| Iraq Medal | 2007 | |
| Rhodesia Medal | 1981 | |
| Defence Force Service Medal with 4 Clasps | 35 Years of Service | |
| Australian Defence Medal | 2006 | |
| Zimbabwean Independence Medal | 1980 | |
| NATO ISAF Medal (Afghanistan) | 2009 | |
| US Legion of Merit | Officer in the US Legion of Merit 2004 |
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Major General Mike Hindmarsh |
Commander of Australian Forces in Middle East Area of Operations 2009 – 2010 |
Succeeded by Major General John Cantwell |
| Preceded by Major General Ken Gillespie |
Land Commander Australia 2005 – 2009 |
Succeeded by Major General David Morrison |
| Preceded by Major General Mark Evans |
Commander 1st Division May 2004 – 2005 |
Succeeded by Major General Ash Power |
