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 ...

Julie Hammer, (born 17 February 1955) is an Australian engineer and a retired senior officer in the

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

(RAAF). She was the first woman to be promoted to

one-star rank An officer of one-star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-6. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members. Typically, one-star officers hold the rank o ...

, and also the first woman to be promoted to

two-star rank An officer of two-star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-7. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members. Typically, two-star officers hold the rank ...

, 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 ...

. She was also the first woman to command an operational unit in the RAAF.

Early life

Julie Margaret Hammer was born in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

on 17 February 1955. She was educated at

Brisbane Girls Grammar School , motto_translation = Nothing without labour , address = Gregory Terrace , city = Spring Hill , state = Queensland , postcode = 4000 , country = Australia , coordinates = , type = Independent secondary d ...

. Graduating in 1971, she was placed eighth in the State of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

in the Senior Public

Matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now ...

Examination.Defence Media Release PACC 186/03 4 July 2003
/ref> She attended the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

where she majored in

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

, graduating 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 ...

with

Honours Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...

Service history

In 1977, Hammer joined the RAAF as an Education Officer, serving in the engineer cadet squadron at

Frognall, Melbourne Frognall is a large boom-era mansion located at 54 Mont Albert Road in the Melbourne, Australia, Melbourne suburb of Canterbury, Victoria, Canterbury. History Frognall was designed by the architect James Gall in 1888 in the Italianate style that ...

until 1979, and then Instructor at the RAAF School of Radio at Laverton.Bright Sparcs Biographical entry
/ref> In 1981, the Engineer Branch was opened to women and she transferred to the Electronics Category. She managed deep-level maintenance on the RAAF's

F-111 The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark is a retired supersonic, medium-range, multirole combat aircraft. Production variants of the F-111 had roles that included ground attack (e.g. interdiction), strategic bombing (including nuclear weapons ca ...

UH-1 Iroquois The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helico ...

CH-47 Chinook The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem rotor helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Piasecki Helicopter, Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Rotorcraft Systems#Background, Boeing Vertol. The Chinook is a heavy-lift helicopter that is a ...

, and

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 ...

aircraft with No. 3 Aircraft Depot at

RAAF Base Amberley RAAF Base Amberley is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military airbase located southwest of Ipswich, Queensland in Australia and southwest of Brisbane CBD. It is currently home to No. 1 Squadron (operating the F/A-18F Super Hornet), N ...

. She then worked at Headquarters Support Command in the engineering management of avionics equipment for the RAAF fleet. In June 1985 she was promoted to

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...

, and became Sub-Section Head in the Aircraft Equipment Engineering Division (AEENG3) of Headquarters Support Command at

Victoria Barracks, Melbourne Located on St Kilda Road in Melbourne, Australia, Victoria Barracks Melbourne is architecturally and historically significant. It is one of the most impressive 19th century government buildings in Victoria, Australia. Pre-World War II Original ...

. After 16 months study at No. 5 Advanced Systems Engineering Course at

RAF Cranwell Royal Air Force Cranwell or more simply RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England, close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. Among other functions, it is home to the Royal Air Force College (RAFC), which trai ...

, she became a liaison officer in the Directorate of Scientific and Technical Intelligence at the

Ministry of 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 ...

in London. After the completion of her

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

thesis in Aerosystems Engineering in 1987, she became a technical intelligence analyst with the Joint Intelligence Organisation in

. This was followed by work on the

P-3 Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner.Defence Acquisition Organisation The Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) is an organisation within the Australian Department of Defence, responsible for acquisition and supply chain management of military equipment and materiel including aircraft, ships, vehicl ...

(DAO). She completed a Graduate Diploma in Strategic Studies at the Joint Services Staff College, and became the first woman in the RAAF to become a member of the General List when she was promoted to

group captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

in 1996. She was seconded for four months to serve on the Science and Technology Team of the Defence Efficiency Review. During 1999, she was the lone Australian student at 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 level ...

, completing a 12-month course in strategic and international studies. Returning to Australia in December 1999, she was promoted to air commodore, becoming the first woman to achieve that rank and the first to be promoted to one-star rank in the ADF. When she was subsequently promoted to air vice marshal in 2003, she became the first woman to attain two-star rank in the ADF. She assumed duties as Director General Information Services, responsible for the operations and support of Defence's fixed communications networks and computer systems throughout Australia. In December 2001, she became the first woman Commandant of the

Australian Defence Force Academy The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) is a tri-service military Academy that provides military and academic education for junior officers of the Australian Defence Force in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and Royal Aus ...

. That year she was awarded the Sir

Charles Kingsford Smith Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith (9 February 18978 November 1935), nicknamed Smithy, was an Australian aviation pioneer. He piloted the first transpacific flight and the first flight between Australia and New Zealand. Kingsford Smith was b ...

Memorial Medal by the

Royal Aeronautical Society The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest aeronautical society in the world. Members, Fellows ...

to recognise her contribution to Australian aerospace, and she delivered the Kingsford Smith Memorial Lecture. She was appointed by the Minister Assisting the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

for the Status of Women to be one of Australia's Honouring Women Ambassadors in 2002. She became the University of Queensland's 12th Alumnus of the Year in 2003, and 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 ...

in 2004.

Later career

Retiring from the RAAF in 2005, Hammer became the National Vice President of

Engineers Australia Engineers Australia (EA) is an Australian professional body and not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to advance the science and practice of engineering for the benefit of the community. Engineers Australia is Australia's recognized org ...

, and its president in 2008. First female President for Engineers Australia
Julie Hammer FIEAust EngExec FTSE FRAeA GAICD – 2008 National President, Engineers Australia
Year of Engineering Leadership, Steering Group Profiles, www.engineersaustralia.org.au She is a director of the .au Domain Regulator,

auDA .au Domain Administration (auDA) is the policy authority and industry self-regulatory body for the .au domain, which is the country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Australia. It was formed in 1999 to manage the .au ccTLD with the endorsement ...

. In 2008 she was elected as a Fellow of the

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) is a learned academy that helps Australians understand and use technology to solve complex problems. It was founded in 1975 as one of Australia's then four learned academies (now five) ...

, and was appointed an Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia in 2011.Honorary Fellows 2011
pg.14, Engineers Australia Queensland Newsletter, Edition 4, 2011, www.engineersaustralia.org.au Hammer has been married to fellow RAAF officer, Air Vice Marshal David Dunlop, since September 2000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammer, Julie 1955 births Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Living people Members of the Order of Australia People from Brisbane Recipients of the Conspicuous Service Cross (Australia) Female air marshals of the Royal Australian Air Force Women in 21st-century warfare Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Military personnel from Brisbane