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 ...

John Stuart Baker (24 February 1936 – 9 July 2007) was a senior

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 ...

officer. 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 1954, his career culminated with his appointment as Chief of the Defence Force from 1995 to 1998, the most senior position 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 ...

. Baker also served as the inaugural Director of the

Defence Intelligence Organisation The Defence Intelligence Organisation (DIO) is an Australian government military intelligence agency responsible for strategic intelligence and technical intelligence assessments, advising defence and government decision-making on national se ...

from 1990 to 1992,

Vice Chief of the Defence Force The Vice Chief of the Defence Force (VCDF) is the military deputy to the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) of Australia, and acts as the CDF in his absence under standing acting arrangements. Vice Admiral David Johnston, the incumbent VCDF, has ...

from 1992 to 1995, and was author of the highly influential 1988 "Baker Report".

Career

Baker entered the

in 1954. On graduation in 1957, he was allotted to the

Royal Australian Engineers The Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) is the military engineering corps of the Australian Army (although the word corps does not appear in their name or on their badge). The RAE is ranked fourth in seniority of the corps of the Australian Army, be ...

and later completing a degree in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...

at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. ACM

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 ...

CDF eulogy for General John Baker AC, DSM
13 July 2007, www.defence.gov.au, accessed 31 March 2012. Baker's first regimental posting was a one-year appointment 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 ...

, and not long after he spent a year in Hawaii as an exchange officer. In 1970–1971 he was attached to the 1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, where he was

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

Mention in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. In 1970–1971 Baker "was project officer in the 1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, where he was responsible for construction activities in Phuoc Tuy Province. In recognition of his work on this project, Major Baker was mentioned in dispatches. His citation reads that 'Despite the short planning time, an extended supply system, a mixed workforce and, subsequently, a curtailed completion time, Major Baker—by his technical ability and dedication—brought the project near to successful completion before his departure from Vietnam. Throughout his management of the complex and difficult task, Major Baker displayed devotion to duty, professional skill and leadership qualities of the highest order which reflected great credit upon himself, his Corps and the Australian Army'. Huston, "CDF eulogy", pg.2 He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1971, colonel in 1979, brigadier in 1982, major general in 1987, lieutenant general in 1992 and general in 1995.

The Baker Report

In 1987, the then Chief of the Defence Force, General

Peter Gration General Peter Courtney Gration (born 6 January 1932) is a retired senior Australian Army officer who served in the positions of Chief of the General Staff (1984–87) and Chief of the Defence Force (1987–93), the professional head of the Au ...

, tasked the then Brigadier Baker to: One of the principal aims of this study was to determine the optimal command arrangements for ADF air power. The final report, commonly referred to as the Baker Report, was published in March 1988. Despite extensive reference being made to the command and control challenges posed by air power, Baker did not provide definitive guidance on how the ADF should structure its command arrangements to optimise the development and employment of air power. However, Chapter 7 of the report strongly advocated the creation of NORCOM, a recommendation that was soon adopted by the ADF.Baker, J.S. "A Study into the ADF Command Arrangements", 1988. Also referred to as ''"The Baker Report"''. "The Baker Report" remains the seminal work on command and control in the ADF.

Honours and awards

Baker was a

Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering There are almost 900 living fellows of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. The post-nominal is FTSE. The following lists many notable living and deceased Fellows. Post-nominal statistics ;Numbers of active/living Fellows i ...

Portrait

During General Baker's tenure as Chief of Defence Force, the

arranged for his portrait to be painted by leading Australian 20th century artist, Sir

William Dargie Captain (armed forces), Captain Sir William Alexander Dargie (4 June 1912 – 26 July 2003) was a renowned Australian painter, known especially for his portrait paintings. He won the Archibald Prize, Australia's premier award for portrait ...

. The portrait (1997) hangs at the RAE's School of Military Engineering in Sydney, but was also used at General Baker's funeral in Canberra at the

in 2007.

General John Baker Complex – HQJOC

On 7 March 2009 the

Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the Australian Government, federal government of Australia and is also accountable to Parliament of A ...

Kevin Rudd Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013, holding office as the leader of the ...

, officially opened the "General John Baker Complex",PM opens Joint Operations HQ
7 March 2009,

Australian Department of Defence Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

housing the Headquarters Joint Operations Command (HQJOC) from which joint command of the

is exercised by the Chief of Joint Operations (CJOPS). The complex is some 25 km from the national capital,

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, on the Kings Highway about half-way between the towns of

Queanbeyan Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in the south-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia, located adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory in the Southern Tablelands region. Located on the Queanbeyan River, the city is the council seat of the ...

and

Bungendore Bungendore is a town in the Queanbeyan Region of New South Wales, Australia, in Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council. It is on the Kings Highway near Lake George, the Molonglo River Valley and the Australian Capital Territory border. It has ...

. After Mr Rudd named the complex, Mrs Margaret Baker unveiled a bronze bust of General Baker. The bust was sculpted by Hal Holman.Hal Holman website
Main page

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, John 1936 births 2007 deaths Australian generals Australian military personnel of the Vietnam War Chiefs of the Defence Force (Australia) Commanders of the Legion of Merit Companions of the Order of Australia Military personnel from Melbourne People educated at Parade College Recipients of the Centenary Medal Recipients of the Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) Recipients of the Philippine Legion of Honor Royal Military College, Duntroon graduates University of Melbourne alumni Vice Chiefs of the Defence Force (Australia) Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Australian military engineers