Kenneth James Gillespie | |
|---|---|
_at_the_Centenary_of_the_Kangaroo_March_launch.jpg) Ken Gillespie in December 2013 | |
| Born | (1952-06-28)28 June 1952 (age 72) Brisbane, Queensland |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1968–2011 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | Chief of Army (2008–11) Vice Chief of the Defence Force (2005–08) Land Commander Australia (2004–05) Commander Australian Contingent,Operation Slipper (2001–02) Commander West Sector,Operation Tanager (2000–01) |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of Australia Distinguished Service Cross Conspicuous Service Medal Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States) Meritorious Service Medal (Singapore) |
Lieutenant GeneralKenneth James GillespieAC, DSC, CSM (born 28 June 1952) is a retired senior officer in theAustralian Army. Gillespie served asVice Chief of the Defence Force from 2005 until 2008, thenChief of Army from 2008 until his retirement in June 2011.
Gillespie was educated at Inala State High School inBrisbane and enlisted in the Australian Army in 1968 as an apprentice bricklayer.[1] He graduated from theOfficer Cadet School, Portsea, in 1972, gaining acommission in the corps of theRoyal Australian Engineers.[1]
Gillespie held a range of regimental and staff appointments including Instructor at the School of Military Engineering and at the 1st Recruit Training Battalion.[1] He then held regimental appointments as a junior officer in 2nd Field Engineer Regiment, 5th Field Engineer Regiment, 2nd/3rd Field Engineer Regiment and 1st Construction Regiment, after which he became a Senior Instructor at the School of Military Engineering.[1]
Gellespie attended the AustralianArmy Command and Staff College, Queenscliff in 1985 and became Australian Exchange Instructor at theRoyal School of Military Engineering in the United Kingdom in 1986.[1] In 1989 he raised and then deployed as the second in command and operations officer, the 2nd Australian Contingent to theUnited Nations Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG) inNamibia.[2]
In 1990, Gillespie became Standing Chairman of the Quadripartite Working Group for the Engineers in theABCA Armies Agreement and in 1991 he attended the UKJoint Services Command and Staff College where he earned a Graduate Diploma in Strategic Studies.[1] In 1992 he held a senior staff appointment at the Directorate of Engineers — Army. He was appointed a Member of theRoyal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom in 1998 and was selected to be Senior National Officer for Australia in the ABCA Program in 1999.[1]
Gillespie's senior officer appointments included becoming inauguralCommanding Officer of the3rd Combat Engineer Regiment, Staff Officer Operations to theChief of the Defence Force, inaugural commander of the Australian Theatre Joint Intelligence Centre, for which he was made aMember of the Order of Australia,[3] and inaugural Principal Staff Officer — Intelligence,Headquarters Australian Theatre.[1]
He was promoted tobrigadier in January 1999. In this rank he was the Chief of Staff Training Command — Army, he commanded the United Nations Sector West multinational brigade inEast Timor,[4] and he was the National Commander of Australia's contribution toOperation Slipper.[5]
Gillespie was promoted tomajor general and madeLand Commander Australia in January 2004, and tolieutenant general asVice Chief of the Defence Force in 2005.[1]
Gillespie assumed his appointment asChief of Army on 4 July 2008.[6] On 29 April 2010, Gillespie was presented with Singapore'sMeritorious Service Medal by the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore,Teo Chee Hean, and Chief of the Singapore Army, Brigadier GeneralChan Chun Sing. The award came as a result of Gillespie's "leadership and commitment to furthering relationships between the armies" of Australia and Singapore.[7] In August 2010, controversy arose when Gillespie outlawed the wearing of berets on the grounds that they led to an increased risk of skin cancer. The exemption of the special forces from the ban added to the controversy.[8] Gillespie handed over command of the Army to Lieutenant GeneralDavid Morrison during a ceremony on 24 June 2011,[9] and officially retired from the Australian Defence Force two days later.
Gillespie is married to Carmel and they have a student daughter. He has two grown children from a previous marriage. He is well travelled, enjoys most sports (particularly golf), and is a keen reader.[1]
In February 2018, the then NSW Governor, His Excellency General the HonourableDavid Hurley AC DSC(rtd) promulgated in the NSW Government Gazette, the election of Ken Gillespie as a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales.
For his service as the Commander Australian Contingent, Operation Slipper, Gillespie was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia in the Military Division in the2003 Australia Day Honours.[5] On 26 January 2011, Gillespie was promoted toCompanion of the Order of Australia (AC).[10]
Gillespie was awarded theDistinguished Service Cross in 2002 for "distinguished command and leadership"[4] while Commander Sector West deployed on active service with the United Nations Transitional Administration East Timor duringOperation Tanager.
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| Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) | (2011)[10] |
| Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) | (2003)[5] | |
| Member of the Order of Australia (AM) | (1998)[3] | |
| Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) | (2002)[4][11] |
| Conspicuous Service Medal (CSM) | (1992)[2] |
| Australian Active Service Medal | with 3 clasps:[12]NAMIBIA,EAST TIMOR, andICAT |
| Afghanistan Medal | [12] |
| Defence Force Service Medal with Federation Star | (40–44 years of service)[12] |
| Australian Defence Medal | [12] |
| UNTAG (United Nations Transition Assistance Group) | Namibia 1989–90[13] (1992)[12] |
| UNTAET (United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor)[14] | [12] |
| Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States) | 2009[citation needed] |
| Meritorious Service Medal (Military) (Singapore) | 2010[7] |
Media related toKen Gillespie at Wikimedia Commons
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lieutenant GeneralPeter Leahy | Chief of Army 2008–2011 | Succeeded by Lieutenant GeneralDavid Morrison |
| Preceded by Vice AdmiralRuss Shalders | Vice Chief of the Defence Force 2005–2008 | Succeeded by Lieutenant GeneralDavid Hurley |
| Preceded by Major GeneralDavid Hurley | Land Commander Australia 2004–2005 | Succeeded by Major GeneralMark Kelly |
| Vice Chief of the Defence Force |  | |
|---|---|---|
