Vice Admiral Russell Edward Shalders, (born 28 September 1951) is a retired admiral of the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

(RAN). He served as

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of the Australian Defence Force from 2002 to 2005, and as Chief of Navy from 2005 to 2008.

Early life

Shalders was born in

Ararat, Victoria Ararat (Djabwurrung language, Djabwurrung: ''Tallarambooroo'') is a city in south-west Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, about west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway, Victoria, Western Highway on the eastern slopes of the Ararat Hill ...

, on 28 September 1951 to Kenneth George Shalders, a former army

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 ...

who had served with the 2/12th Battalion in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, and Muriel Jean Shalders.

Naval career

Shalders entered the

Royal Australian Naval College The Royal Australian Naval College (RANC), commonly known as HMAS Creswell, is the naval academy of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). It consists of the RAN School of Survivability and Ship's Safety, Kalkara Flight, the Beecroft Weapons Range an ...

Jervis Bay Jervis Bay () is a oceanic bay and village on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, said to possess the whitest sand in the world. A area of land around the southern headland of the bay is a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia ...

as a 16-year-old

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in 1967. After sea training he undertook operations and weapons courses in the

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. On returning to Australia, he was posted as executive officer of the patrol boat , then joined , before he assumed command of the

Papua New Guinea Defence Force The Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Papua New Guinea. It originated from the Australian Army land forces of the territory of Papua New Guinea before independence, coming into be ...

patrol boat ''Samarai''. Shalders then served as divisional officer at the RAN College in 1976, and then in prior to principal warfare officer training in the UK in 1978. He returned as operations and

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

(ASW) officer aboard HMAS ''Vendetta'', then was an officer's posting officer in Canberra. After promotion to lieutenant commander in 1981, Shalders completed the Naval Staff Course for International Officers at the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

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, and then undertook advanced warfare officer training in the UK, specialising in anti-submarine warfare. He joined as ASW officer and operations officer in 1982, but completed this posting as executive officer. In the rank of commander, Shalders 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 and was then appointed as commander, Sea Training. Admiral Russ Shalders

On promotion to captain, Shalders was posted at short notice to command during the

Persian Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

, and was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in recognition of this period in command. In 1991, he became 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 The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest lev ...

in London in 1995. On promotion to

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

, Shalders 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 of flotillas in January 1998, responsible for the operational efficiency of all fleet units. On promotion to rear admiral in July 1999, Shalders was seconded to the

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as the inaugural Director General

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. 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 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 ...

in July 2002. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours list of 2003. On 23 May 2005, the

Minister for Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

announced that Shalders would succeed Vice Admiral 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, Shalders enjoys golf, jogging and gardening. Shalders' brother, Commodore Richard Shalders, was Commander Australian Navy Submarine Group (CANSG) until his retirement in July 2008.

References and notes

External links

Media release of appointment as Chief of NavyOfficial portraitcopyright
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shalders, Russ 1951 births Military personnel from Victoria (Australia) Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Australian military personnel of the Gulf War Australian military personnel of the Vietnam War Chiefs of Navy (Australia) Graduates of the Royal Australian Naval College Living people Naval War College alumni Officers of the Order of Australia People from Ararat, Victoria Recipients of the Centenary Medal Recipients of the Conspicuous Service Cross (Australia) Recipients of the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera) Royal Australian Navy admirals Vice Chiefs of the Defence Force (Australia)