Russ Shalders

Vice Admiral Russell Edward Shalders AO, CSC, RAN
Russ Shalders
Nickname	Russ
Born	8 September 1951 (1951-09-08) (age 60)
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Royal Australian Navy
Years of service	1967–2008
Rank	Vice Admiral
Commands held	Chief of Navy Vice Chief of the Defence Force HMAS Darwin HMAS Sydney HMAS Perth
Battles/wars	Vietnam War Gulf War
Awards	Officer of the Order of Australia Conspicuous Service Cross

Vice Admiral Russell Edward Shalders, AO, CSC, RAN (born 8 September 1951) is a retired admiral of the Royal Australian Navy. He served as Vice Chief of the Australian Defence Force from 2002 to 2005, and as Chief of Navy from 2005 to 2008.

1 Service history
2 Personal
3 Awards
4 References and notes
5 External links

Service history

Shalders joined the Royal Australian Naval College at Jervis Bay from Victoria in 1967. After sea training he undertook Operations and Weapons courses in the United Kingdom. On returning to Australia, he was posted as Executive Officer (2nd in command) of the patrol boat HMAS Ardent, then joined HMAS Vendetta, before he assumed command of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force patrol boat Samarai

He then served as Divisional Officer at the RAN College in 1976, and then in HMAS Perth prior to Principal Warfare Officer training in the UK in 1978. He returned as Operations and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Officer aboard HMAS Vendetta, then was an officer's posting officer in Canberra.

After promotion to lieutenant commander in 1981, he completed the Naval Staff Course for International Officers at the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island and then undertook Advanced Warfare Officer training in the UK, specialising in anti-submarine warfare. He joined HMAS Hobart as ASW Officer and Operations Officer in 1982, but completed this posting as Executive Officer.

In the rank of commander, he then served at the RAN Staff College as a member of the Directing Staff from mid-1984. After two years at the embassy in Washington, D.C. in 1986–87, he assumed command of HMAS Sydney and was then appointed as Commander, Sea Training.

On promotion to captain, he was posted at short notice to command HMAS Darwin (FFG04) during the Persian Gulf War, and was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross^[1] in recognition of this period in command. In 1991, he become Director of Naval Warfare and subsequently Director General Naval Policy and Warfare. Shalders commanded HMAS Perth in 1993–94 and attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in London in 1995.

On promotion to commodore, he was appointed as Director General Joint Exercise Plans and then Director General Operations Policy and Doctrine and Director General Information Strategic Concepts. He returned to the Fleet to become Commodore Flotillas in January 1998, responsible for the operational efficiency of all fleet units.

On promotion to rear admiral in July 1999, he was seconded to the Australian Customs Service as the inaugural Director General Coastwatch. He was appointed as Head, Defence Personnel Executive in 2001.

Shalders was promoted to vice admiral and appointed as Vice Chief of the Defence Force in July 2002. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours list of 2003.^[2]

On 23 May 2005, the Minister for Defence announced that Shalders would succeed VADM Chris Ritchie as Chief of Navy from July 2005 for a three-year term. He retired from this position, and the Navy, on 4 July 2008.

Personal

In his spare time, Vice Admiral Shalders enjoys golf, jogging and gardening.

Russ Shalders' brother, Commodore Richard Shalders CSC ADC^[3] RAN, was Commander Australian Navy Submarine Group (CANSG)^[4]^[5] until his retirement in July 2008.

Awards

	Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)	26 January 2003^[2]
	Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC)	4 November 1991^[1]
	Australian Active Service Medal 1945-1975	with VIETNAM clasp
	Vietnam Logistic and Support Medal
	Australian Service Medal 1945-1975	with FESR and PNG clasps
	Australian Service Medal	with KUWAIT clasp
	Centenary Medal	1 January 2001^[6]
	Defence Force Service Medal with Federation Star	(40–44 years service)
	National Medal	9 March 1991^[7]
	Australian Defence Medal

References and notes

^ ^a ^b "Conspicuous Service Cross - Russell Shalders". It's an Honour. Australian Government. http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=967290&search_type=quick&showInd=true. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
^ ^a ^b "AO - Russel Shalders". It's an Honour. Australian Government. http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1042142&search_type=quick&showInd=true. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
^ By virtue of his position as the senior military officer in Western Australia, Cdre Richard Shalders was also the Aide-de-camp to the Governor of WA. With his retirement he will no longer be entitled to use that post-nominal
^ HMAS Rankin awarded Gloucester Cup L-R: RADM Coates, MajGen Jeffery (Rtd), Cmdr Stanford, Cdre Richard Shalders, 8 April 2008 (Hi res) (source) (copyright)
^ "A Few Words About 'the Silent Service'" (PDF). Sea Talk (Winter 2006) (Royal Australian Navy): pp. 22–25. Winter 2006. http://www.navy.gov.au/w/images/Sea_Talk_2006-autumn.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
^ "Centenary Medal - Russel Shalders". It's an Honour. Australian Government. http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1125683&search_type=quick&showInd=true. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
^ "National Medal - Russell Shalders". It's an Honour. Australian Government. http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=965270&search_type=quick&showInd=true. Retrieved 2008-06-08.

External links

Military offices
Preceded by Vice Admiral Chris Ritchie	Chief of Navy 2005 – 2008	Succeeded by Vice Admiral Russell Crane
Preceded by Lieutenant General Desmond Mueller	Vice Chief of the Defence Force 2002 – 2005	Succeeded by Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie

Vice Chiefs of the Defence Force

Vice Chief of the Defence Force	Ray Funnell · Ian Knox · Alan Beaumont · John Baker · Robert Walls · Chris Barrie · Douglas Riding · Desmond Mueller · Russ Shalders · Ken Gillespie · David Hurley · Mark Binskin

Chiefs of the Royal Australian Navy

Director, Commonwealth Naval Forces	Sir William Rooke Creswell

First Naval Members, Australian Commonwealth Naval Board	Sir William Rooke Creswell • Sir Percy Grant • Sir Allan Everett • Percival Hall-Thompson • William Napier • Sir William Munro Kerr • Sir George Hyde • Sir Ragnar Colvin • Sir Guy Royle • Sir Louis Keppel Hamilton • Sir John Augustine Collins • Sir Roy Dowling • Sir Henry Burrell • Sir Hastings Harrington • Sir Alan McNicoll • Sir Victor Smith • Sir Richard Peek • Sir David Stevenson

Chiefs of the Naval Staff	Sir Anthony Synnot • Sir James Willis • David Leach • Michael Hudson • Ian MacDougall • Rodney Taylor

Chiefs of Navy	Rodney Taylor • Donald Chalmers • David Shackleton • Chris Ritchie • Russ Shalders • Russell Crane • Raymond Griggs

Persondata
Name	Shalders, Russ
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	8 September 1951
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death