General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Angus John Campbell, is a senior officer in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

, serving as the Chief of the Defence Force since 6 July 2018. He was previously posted as Commander Operation Sovereign Borders from September 2013 until he was appointed Chief of Army in May 2015.

Military career

Campbell attended

St Gregory's College, Campbelltown , motto_translation = What you sow, so shall you reap , established = , type = Independent single-sex and co-educational comprehensive and specialist primary and secondary day and boarding school , specialist = Agricultural sch ...

before entering the

Royal Military College, Duntroon lit: Learning promotes strength , established = , type = Military college , chancellor = , head_label = Commandant , head = Brigadier Ana Duncan , principal = , city = Campbell , state = ...

in 1981, receiving a commission as an infantry

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in 1984. Initially assigned to the

3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) is a mechanised infantry battalion of the Australian Army, based in Kapyong Lines, Townsville as part of the 3rd Brigade. 3 RAR traces its lineage to 1945 and has seen operational serv ...

as a platoon commander, he later passed selection for the

Special Air Service Regiment The Special Air Service Regiment, officially abbreviated SASR though commonly known as the SAS, is a special forces unit of the Australian Army. Formed in 1957, it was modelled on the British SAS sharing the motto, "Who Dares Wins". The reg ...

, with which he served as troop and squadron commander. Campbell commanded the

2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2 RAR) is an amphibious light infantry battalion of the Australian Army part of the 1st Division Amphibious Task Group based at Lavarack Barracks in Townsville. 2 RAR was initially formed as the A ...

in East Timor as part of the

United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), ( pt, Administração Transitória das Nações Unidas em Timor Leste), was a United Nations mission in East Timor that aimed to solve the decades long East Timorese cri ...

(UNTAET), for which was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AM) in 2003.
Citation: ''For exceptional service to the Australian Defence Force as the Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion Group during operational service in East Timor.'' Campbell served as Chief of Staff to General

Peter Cosgrove General Sir Peter John Cosgrove, (born 28 July 1947) is a retired senior Australian Army officer who served as the 26th governor-general of Australia, in office from 2014 to 2019. A graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, Cosgrove fo ...

and later Air Chief Marshal

Angus Houston Air Chief Marshal Sir Allan Grant "Angus" Houston, (born 9 June 1947) is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force. He served as Chief of Air Force from 20 June 2001 and then as the Chief of the Defence Force from 4 July 20 ...

during their respective tenures as Chief of the Defence Force. In 2005, he left the full-time army and assumed a senior civilian appointment as First Assistant Secretary in the Office of National Security within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Campbell was later promoted to Deputy Secretary, and served as Deputy National Security Adviser for a period before returning to the army in 2010. Campbell was promoted to the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

and appointed as Commander Joint Task Force 633 in 2011, responsible for all Australian forces deployed in the Middle East, including

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. For his command in Afghanistan he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

.
Citation: ''For distinguished command and leadership in action as Commander Joint Task Force 633 on Operation SLIPPER from January 2011 to December 2011.'' He was appointed the

Deputy Chief of Army The Deputy Chief of Army (DCA) is the second most senior appointment in the Australian Army, responsible to the Chief of Army (CA). The rank associated with the position is major general ( 2-star). The current appointee is Major General Natas ...

in February 2012. Campbell was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 19 September 2013 and appointed to oversee

Operation Sovereign Borders Operation Sovereign Borders (OSB) is a border protection operation led by the Australian Defence Force, aimed at stopping maritime arrivals of asylum seekers to Australia. The operation is the outcome of a 2013 federal election policy of the ...

, part of the Abbott Government's immigration policy aimed at stopping maritime arrivals of asylum seekers to Australia. In March 2015, Prime Minister

Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott was born in Londo ...

announced Campbell would be appointed Chief of Army from May of that year, taking over from the retiring Lieutenant General

David Morrison Lieutenant General David Lindsay Morrison (born 24 May 1956) is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army. He served as Chief of Army from June 2011 until his retirement in May 2015. He was named Australian of the Year for 2016. Early ...

. On 16 April 2018, Prime Minister

Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Turnbull grad ...

announced that Campbell would be promoted to

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

and succeed Air Chief Marshal

Mark Binskin Air Chief Marshal Mark Donald Binskin, (born 20 March 1960) is a former senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force. He served as Chief of Air Force (2008–11), Vice Chief of the Defence Force (2011–14), and Chief of the Defence Force ...

as Chief of the Defence Force. The change of command occurred on 6 July. In the meantime, one of Campbell's last acts as the Chief of Army was to order the removal of "death imagery" from patches and badges. On 19 November 2020 the Brereton Report was publicly released following a four year investigation into alleged Australian war crimes by Australian Special Forces whom were taking part in the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) *Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see als ...

between 2006-2016. On that same day Campbell announced at a press conference that the 2 Squadron,

had immediately been disbanded and struck from the army order of battle. He also apologised for "any wrong doing by Australian soldiers" and said a "distorted culture" existed in the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Forc ...

. In June 2022, Campbell's tenure as Chief of the Defence Force was extended for a further two years. In late November 2022, Campbell gave officers of Captain to Brigadier rank "28 days to prove their service in the Afghanistan war was distinguished" Up to 3,000 Australian Defence Force members are potentially facing having their medals revoked At the time of the most serious allegations in 2012, Campbell was serving as the Commander Joint Task Force 633, for which he was awarded the

This has lead to calls for Campbell to be stripped of his decoration due to findings of the Brereton Report and due to a perceived error in the original citation. "In the citation on his Distinguished Service Cross, he said he was given that award for 'distinguished command and leadership in action' - the key phrase is 'in action' and what that means is he was serving in action against the enemy in combat in Afghanistan."

Childhood and personal life

Campbell lived in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

as a child. Campbell is married to Stephanie Copus-Campbell, a former

AusAID Australian Aid is the brand name used to identify projects in developing countries supported by the Australian Government. As of 2014 the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has been responsible for Australia's official development ...

official and current chief executive officer of the Oil Search Foundation. They have two adult children.

Honours and awards

180627-D-PB383-008 (41239216050) (Angus Campbell cropped)

*26 January 2003 –

(AM) – "For exceptional service to the Australian Defence Force as the Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion Group during operational service in East Timor" *11 June 2012 –

(DSC) – "For distinguished command and leadership in action as Commander Joint Task Force 633 on Operation SLIPPER from January 2011 to December 2011" *12 June 2017 –

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AO) – "For distinguished service as Head Military Strategic Commitments, Deputy Chief of Army, and Chief of Army" *13 June 2017 –

Commander of the Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

(United States) – "For exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services from February 2012 to June 2017" *14 September 2017 – Meritorious Service Medal (Military) (Singapore) – "For significant contributions towards strengthening defence ties between the Australian Army and The Singapore Army" *29 April 2022 –

Distinguished Service Order (Military) The Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) ( eng, Distinguished Service Order (Military)) is a decoration awarded to members of the Singapore Armed Forces and allied military members for exceptionally distinguished service or merit in senior comm ...

(Singapore) – "For significant contributions towards strengthening defence ties between the Australian Army and The Singapore Army" * 20 August 2022 –

Medal of Merit (East Timor) The Medal of Merit ( pt, Medalha de Mérito) is a state decoration of East Timor. Established in 2009, it may be awarded to East Timorese and foreign civilian and military personnel. Criteria and award procedure The Medal of Merit recognizes civi ...

Gabinete Ministru Transportes no Komunikasoins
''Ministru Transporte no Komunikasaun Partisipa Serimónia Komemorasaun Loron FALINTIL ba Dala-47'', 21 August 2022
retrieved 3 September 2022.

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Angus Alumni of the University of Cambridge Australian generals Australian military personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Australian public servants Chiefs of Army (Australia) Chiefs of the Defence Force (Australia) Deputy Chiefs of Army (Australia) Living people Officers of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) Royal Military College, Duntroon graduates University of New South Wales alumni Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit Year of birth missing (living people)