John Stuart Baker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1936-02-24)24 February 1936 Melbourne, Victoria |
| Died | 9 July 2007(2007-07-09) (aged 71) Canberra, Australian Capital Territory |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1954–1998 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Chief of the Defence Force (1995–98) Vice Chief of the Defence Force (1992–95) Defence Intelligence Organisation (1990–92) Joint Intelligence Organisation (1989–90) |
| Battles / wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of Australia Distinguished Service Medal Mentioned in Despatches Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States) Commander of the Legion of Honor (Philippines) Distinguished Service Order (Singapore) |
GeneralJohn Stuart BakerAC, DSM, FTSE (24 February 1936 – 9 July 2007) was a seniorAustralian Army officer. Entering theRoyal Military College, Duntroon in 1954, his career culminated with his appointment asChief of the Defence Force from 1995 to 1998, the most senior position in theAustralian Defence Force.[1] Baker also served as the inaugural Director of theDefence Intelligence Organisation from 1990 to 1992,[2]Vice Chief of the Defence Force from 1992 to 1995, and was author of the highly influential 1988 "Baker Report".[3]
Baker entered theRoyal Military College, Duntroon in 1954. On graduation in 1957, he was allotted to theRoyal Australian Engineers and later completing a degree incivil engineering at theUniversity of Melbourne.[4][5]
Baker's first regimental posting was a one-year appointment inPapua New Guinea, and not long after he spent a year in Hawaii as an exchange officer. In 1970–1971 he was attached to the1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit during theVietnam War, where he wasMentioned in Despatches.[5][6] 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.[7]
In 1987, the then Chief of the Defence Force, GeneralPeter Gration, tasked the then Brigadier Baker to:[8]
conduct a study of the existing ADF command arrangements in order to recommend further development to meet likely requirements into the 21st century for both low and high levels of operations.
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.[3] 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,[9] a recommendation that was soon adopted by the ADF.[3]
"The Baker Report" remains the seminal work on command and control in the ADF.[citation needed]
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| Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) | (1995)[10] |
| Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) | (1990)[11] | |
| Member of the Order of Australia (AM) | (1980)[12] | |
| Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) | (1998)[13] |
| Australian Active Service Medal 1945–1975 with clasp | Vietnam[14] |
| Vietnam Medal with oak leaf forMention in Despatches | [14] |
| Australian Service Medal 1945–1975 with clasp | Papua New Guinea[14] |
| Centenary Medal | (2001)[15] |
| Defence Force Service Medal with Federation Star (5 clasps) | (40–44 years service)[14] |
| National Medal with clasp | (1977)[16][17] |
| Australian Defence Medal | |
| Army Commendation Medal (United States) | [14] |
| Vietnam Campaign Medal (South Vietnam) | [14] |
| Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States) | [14] |
| Commander of the Legion of Honor (Philippines) | [14] |
| Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera)Distinguished Service Order (Military) (Singapore) | [14] |
Baker was aFellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.[18]
During General Baker's tenure as Chief of Defence Force, theRoyal Australian Engineers arranged for his portrait to be painted by leading Australian 20th century artist, SirWilliam Dargie.[19] 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 theRoyal Military College, Duntroon in 2007.[20]
On 7 March 2009 thePrime Minister of Australia,Kevin Rudd, officially opened the "General John Baker Complex",[21][22] housing theHeadquarters Joint Operations Command (HQJOC) from which joint command of theAustralian Defence Force is exercised by theChief of Joint Operations (CJOPS). The complex is some 25 km from the national capital,Canberra, on theKings Highway about half-way between the towns ofQueanbeyan andBungendore. After Mr Rudd named the complex, Mrs Margaret Baker unveiled a bronze bust of General Baker.[21] The bust was sculpted byHal Holman.[23]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by AdmiralAlan Beaumont | Chief of the Defence Force 1995–1998 | Succeeded by AdmiralChris Barrie |
| Preceded by Vice Admiral Alan Beaumont | Vice Chief of the Defence Force 1992–1995 | Succeeded by Vice AdmiralRobert Walls |
| New office | Director of the Defence Intelligence Organisation 1990–1992 | Succeeded by Major GeneralJohn Hartley |
| Preceded by | Director of the Joint Intelligence Organisation 1989–1990 | Office replaced by Director of the Defence Intelligence Organisation |
| Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Chief of Defence Force Staff | ||
| Chief of the Defence Force | ||
