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 ...

Stuart Lyle Smith, (born 1 November 1963) is a retired senior officer of the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal 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 (CA), wh ...

. He commanded the 1st Division from October 2012 until November 2015, when he was appointed Deputy Chief of Joint Operations.

Early life

Smith was born in Sydney, New South Wales, on 1 November 1963 and educated at St Paul's College in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. His father, Bernard Lyle Smith, was a soldier in the Australian Army. In March 1969, Bernard, then an infantry sergeant in the 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, was killed by a mine detonation during his second tour of

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

Military career

Smith graduated from 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 1984. He was appointed Commanding Officer of the

1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) is a regular motorised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. 1 RAR was first formed as the 65th Australian Infantry Battalion of the 34th Brigade (Australia) on Balikpapan in 1945 and sinc ...

, in December 2001 and led the battalion on peacekeeping duties in Timor Leste in 2003. For his "exceptional service" on this deployment, Smith was appointed a

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

in 2005. He commanded the 3rd Brigade in

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

during the period 2009 to 2011 and coordinated the Australian Defence Force Disaster Response to Tropical Cyclone Yasi in North Queensland in February 2011. In 2012 Smith was appointed Commander Joint Task Force 633, responsible for

Operation Slipper The Australian contribution to the war in Afghanistan has been known as Operation Slipper (2001–2014) and Operation Highroad (2015-2021). Australian Defence Force (ADF) operations and the size of the forces deployed have varied and ADF invol ...

and Australian forces operating in the Middle East. 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 ...

in 2013 in recognition of his "distinguished command and leadership in warlike operations" while in this command. Following his return from the Middle East, Smith assumed command of the 1st Division in October 2012. He led the division for three years and was advanced to Officer of the Order of Australia, before handing over command to Major General

Paul McLachlan Major General Paul David McLachlan, is a retired senior Australian Army officer. He commanded the 1st Division from November 2015 to December 2018. Military career McLachlan joined in the Australian Army in 1982 and graduated from the Royal ...

in November 2015. Smith was subsequently appointed Deputy Chief of Joint Operations.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Stuart 1963 births Australian generals Australian military personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Living people Officers of the Order of Australia Military personnel from Sydney Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)