Air Marshal Melvin Ernest Glanville Hupfeld, (born 7 March 1962) is a retired senior officer of the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

. He served as Air Commander Australia from 2012 to 2014 and was the acting and final

Chief Capability Development Group The Chief of Capability Development Group (CCDG) was head of the Capability Development Group (CDG) in the Australian Department of Defence, part of the Australian Defence Organisation. This position was created in December 2003 and disbanded t ...

(2015–16), before being appointed as Head Force Design in the Vice Chief of the Defence Force Group (2016–18). He was promoted air marshal and made Chief of Joint Operations in May 2018, and succeeded Air Marshal

Leo Davies Air Marshal Gavin Neil "Leo" Davies, (born 5 September 1960) is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). A navigator who retrained as a pilot, he joined the RAAF in 1979, commanded No. 1 Squadron RAAF (2002–03) and ...

as Chief of Air Force in July 2019.

Early life and education

Hupfeld was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, New South Wales, on 7 March 1962, and joined the Royal Australian Air Force as an

Officer Cadet Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Air ...

in 1980. He finished his training in 1983, won the 'Flying Prize' and graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree. He completed a Master of Arts degree in Defence Studies at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

in 1997.

RAAF career

During Hupfeld's career he has flown the

Dassault Mirage III The Dassault Mirage III () is a family of single/dual-seat, single-engine, fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by French aircraft company Dassault Aviation. It was the first Western European combat aircraft to exceed Mach 2 in horizonta ...

and

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twin-engine, supersonic, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now p ...

flying mainly with No. 3 Squadron RAAF. Hupfeld 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 ...

on 27 November 2003 for his command of

No. 75 Squadron RAAF No. 75 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fighter unit based at RAAF Base Tindal in the Northern Territory. The squadron was formed in 1942 and saw extensive action in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II, operating ...

during

Operation Falconer Falconer may refer to: * A person skilled in the art of falconry People * Falconer (surname), a family name * Falconer Larkworthy (1833–1928), New Zealand banker and financier * Falconer Madan (1851—1935), librarian of the Bodleian Librar ...

,It's an Honour Distinguished Service Cross
retrieved 6 June 2012 and the squadron was awarded the

Meritorious Unit Citation The Meritorious Unit Citation is a collective group decoration awarded to members of Australian military units. It recognises sustained outstanding service in warlike operations. The Meritorious Unit Citation was created in 1991, along with the ...

. Hupfeld has commanded several RAAF units during his career, including

No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit RAAF No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit (No. 2 OCU) is a fighter training unit of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Located at RAAF Base Williamtown, New South Wales, the unit trains pilots to operate the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II ...

No. 81 Wing RAAF The numero sign or numero symbol, №, (also represented as Nº, No, No. or no.), is a typographic abbreviation of the word ''number''(''s'') indicating ordinal numeration, especially in names and titles. For example, using the numero sign, t ...

, and

Air Combat Group RAAF The Royal Australian Air Force's Air Combat Group (ACG) is the group which administers the RAAF's fighter and bomber aircraft. ACG was formed on 7 February 2002 by merging the RAAF's Tactical Fighter Group and Strike Reconnaissance Group in a ...

. Hupfeld was promoted to

air vice marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...

and appointed as Air Commander Australia on 3 February 2012. He moved to the

Capability Development Group The Chief of Capability Development Group (CCDG) was head of the Capability Development Group (CDG) in the Australian Department of Defence, part of the Australian Defence Organisation. This position was created in December 2003 and disbanded th ...

, as Head Capability Systems, in September 2014, before being appointed the acting and final

in 2015, and then Head Force Design in the Vice Chief of the Defence Force Group from 2016. Hupfeld was promoted air marshal and appointed Chief of Joint Operations on 24 May 2018. He succeeded Air Marshal

as Chief of Air Force on 3 July 2019. Hupfeld was appointed an Officer of the National Order of Merit by the French government on 15 February 2021. The award recognised his contribution to bilateral Australian–French military cooperation, most notably "in the fight against Daesch in the Middle-East and in ... combined defence and security operations in the South Pacific" as Chief of Joint Operations. On 14 September 2021 he was awarded the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: *Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Med ...

by Singapore's Minister for Defence

Ng Eng Hen Ng Eng Hen ( zh, s=黄永宏, p=Huáng Yǒnghóng; born 10 December 1958) is a Singaporean politician and former oncologist who has been serving as Minister for Defence since 2011. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has bee ...

. Hupfeld was also awarded the Air Force Meritorious Service Star, First Class by Indonesia on 23 February 2022.

Personal life

Hupfeld is married to Louise and his interests include cycling, running, fishing, light aircraft, hang-gliding and sailing.

References

External links

Royal Australian Air Force Biography
, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hupfeld, Melvin 1962 births Air Commanders (Australia) Alumni of King's College London Australian aviators Australian military personnel of the Iraq War Living people Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite Officers of the Order of Australia People from Sydney Military personnel from New South Wales Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) Recipients of the Meritorious Unit Citation Royal Australian Air Force air marshals