# Chief of Army (Australia)

The Chief of Army is the most senior appointment in the Australian Army, responsible to both the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) and the Secretary, Department of Defence (SECDEF). The rank associated with the position is lieutenant general (3-star).
Lieutenant General Simon Stuart, the incumbent Chief of Army, has held the post since 2 July 2022.

## History

The first Commander of the Australian Army was titled General Officer Commanding, Australian Military Forces, in line with the usual British practice of the time. Experience soon showed that the position concentrated more power than the Ministers for Defence—of whom there were twelve in as many years in 1901–1913—liked. Moreover, the British Army had encountered administrative problems in the Second Boer War which led to the abolition of the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Forces there in 1904, and its replacement by an Army Board.
In 1904, Minister for Defence Anderson Dawson commissioned a report which recommended a similar system for Australia, with a board consisting of four military members, the minister, and a finance member. This was implemented by his successor, James Whiteside McCay. Instead of creating a Chief of the General Staff as per the report, McCay's Military Board consisted of only three military members, the Deputy Adjutant General, the Chief of Ordnance, and the Chief of Intelligence.
The post of Chief of the General Staff was finally created by the new Minister of Defence, George Pearce, in 1909, with Colonel William Bridges becoming the first Chief of the General Staff. The military members of the Military Board then became the Chief of the General Staff, Adjutant General, Chief of Ordnance, and Quartermaster General.
During the Second World War, the threat of invasion led to a reversion to the old system. A Commander in Chief, General Sir Thomas Blamey, was appointed, and the Military Board was suspended, with its powers being transferred to the Commander in Chief. The post of Chief of the General Staff remained, but was now subordinate to the Commander in Chief.
This was successful from a military point of view but the problem of a concentration of power recurred and, after the war ended, the government decided to re-form the Military Board. Blamey was replaced by Lieutenant General Vernon Sturdee in 1945 and the next year the post of Commander in Chief was again abolished, with Sturdee becoming Chief of the General Staff.
The system continued until the reforms of Arthur Tange in 1973. The three services were unified under the Department of Defence. The Military Board was abolished and the Chief of the General Staff became subordinate to the Chief of the Defence Force Staff and the Secretary of Defence. Reflecting this change from a staff to a command role, the post was renamed Chief of Army in 1997.

## Appointees

The following table lists all those who have held the post of Chief of Army or its preceding positions. Ranks and honours are as at the completion of their tenure.
| No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
| General Officer Commanding Australian Military Forces ||||||
| 1 | Hutton, EdwardMajor General Sir Edward Hutton KCB, KCMG (1848–1923) | 29 January 1902 | 10 November 1904 | 1 year, 285 days |
| 2 | Finn, HarryMajor General Harry Finn CB, DCM (1852–1924) | 11 November 1904 | 12 January 1905 | 62 days |
| Chief of the General Staff ||||||
| 3 | Bridges, WilliamColonel William Bridges CMG (1861–1915) | 1 January 1909 | 25 May 1909 | 144 days |
| 4 | Hoad, JohnMajor General Sir John Hoad KCMG (1856–1911) | 26 May 1909 | 30 May 1911 | 2 years, 4 days |
| 5 | Wilson, FrancisLieutenant Colonel Francis Adrian Wilson DSO (1874–1956) | 1 June 1911 | 10 May 1912 | 344 days |
| 6 | Gordon, JosephBrigadier General Joseph Maria Gordon CB (1856–1929) | 11 May 1912 | 31 July 1914 | 2 years, 81 days |
| 7 | Legge, JamesColonel James Gordon Legge CMG (1863–1947) | 1 August 1914 | 23 May 1915 | 295 days |
| 8 | Irving, GodfreyColonel Godfrey Irving CMG (1867–1937) | 24 May 1915 | 31 December 1915 | 221 days |
| 9 | Foster, HubertColonel Hubert Foster (1855–1919) | 1 January 1916 | 30 September 1917 | 1 year, 272 days |
| (7) | Legge, JamesMajor General James Gordon Legge CB, CMG (1863–1947) | 1 October 1917 | 31 May 1920 | 2 years, 243 days |
| 10 | White, BrudenellLieutenant General Sir Brudenell White KCMG, KCVO, CB, DSO (1876–1940) | 1 June 1920 | 10 June 1923 | 3 years, 9 days |
| 11 | Chauvel, HarryGeneral Sir Harry Chauvel GCMG, KCB (1865–1945) | 11 June 1923 | 15 April 1930 | 6 years, 308 days |
| 12 | Chauvel, HarryMajor General Walter Coxen CB, CMG, DSO (1870–1949) | 16 April 1930 | 30 September 1931 | 1 year, 167 days |
| 13 | Bruche, JuliusMajor General Sir Julius Bruche KCB, CMG (1873–1961) | 1 October 1931 | 20 April 1935 | 3 years, 201 days |
| 14 | Lavarack, JohnMajor General John Lavarack CB, CMG, DSO (1885–1957) | 21 April 1935 | 12 October 1939 | 4 years, 174 days |
| 15 | Squires, ErnestLieutenant General Ernest Squires CB, DSO, MC (1882–1940) | 13 October 1939 | 26 January 1940 | 105 days |
| 16 | Northcott, JohnMajor General John Northcott CB (1890–1966) | 27 January 1940 | 17 March 1940 | 50 days |
| (10) | White, BrudenellGeneral Sir Brudenell White KCB, KCMG, KCVO, DSO (1876–1940) | 18 March 1940 | 13 August 1940 | 148 days |
| 17 | Sturdee, VernonLieutenant General Vernon Sturdee CBE, DSO (1890–1966) | 14 August 1940 | 9 September 1942 | 2 years, 26 days |
| (16) | Northcott, JohnLieutenant General John Northcott CB (1890–1966) | 10 September 1942 | 30 November 1945 | 3 years, 81 days |
| (17) | Sturdee, VernonLieutenant General Sir Vernon Sturdee KBE, CB, DSO (1890–1966) | 1 December 1945 | 16 April 1950 | 4 years, 136 days |
| 18 | Rowell, SydneyLieutenant General Sir Sydney Rowell KBE, CB (1894–1975) | 17 April 1950 | 15 December 1954 | 4 years, 242 days |
| 19 | Rowell, SydneyLieutenant General Sir Henry Wells KBE, CB, DSO (1898–1973) | 16 December 1954 | 22 March 1958 | 3 years, 96 days |
| 20 | Garrett, RagnarLieutenant General Sir Ragnar Garrett KBE, CB (1900–1977) | 23 March 1958 | 30 June 1960 | 2 years, 99 days |
| 21 | Pollard, RegLieutenant General Sir Reg Pollard KBE, CB, DSO (1903–1978) | 1 July 1960 | 20 January 1963 | 2 years, 203 days |
| 22 | Wilton, JohnLieutenant General Sir John Wilton KBE, CB, DSO (1910–1981) | 21 January 1963 | 18 May 1966 | 3 years, 117 days |
| 23 | Daly, ThomasLieutenant General Sir Thomas Daly KBE, CB, DSO (1913–2004) | 19 May 1966 | 18 May 1971 | 4 years, 364 days |
| 24 | Brogan, MervynLieutenant General Sir Mervyn Brogan KBE, CB (1915–1994) | 19 May 1971 | 19 November 1973 | 2 years, 184 days |
| 25 | Hassett, FrankLieutenant General Frank Hassett AC, CB, CBE, DSO, LVO (1918–2008) | 20 November 1973 | 23 November 1975 | 2 years, 3 days |
| 26 | MacDonald, ArthurLieutenant General Arthur MacDonald CB, OBE (1919–1995) | 24 November 1975 | 20 April 1977 | 1 year, 147 days |
| 27 | MacDonald, ArthurLieutenant General Sir Donald Dunstan KBE, CB (1923–2011) | 21 April 1977 | 14 February 1982 | 4 years, 304 days |
| 28 | Bennett, PhillipLieutenant General Sir Phillip Bennett KBE, AO, DSO (1928–2023) | 15 February 1982 | 12 February 1984 | 1 year, 362 days |
| 29 | Bennett, PhillipLieutenant General Peter Gration AO, OBE (born 1932) | 13 February 1984 | 12 April 1987 | 3 years, 58 days |
| 30 | O'Donnell, LawrenceLieutenant General Lawrence O'Donnell AC (born 1933) | 13 April 1987 | 12 April 1990 | 2 years, 364 days |
| 31 | Coates, JohnLieutenant General John Coates AC, MBE (1932–2018) | 13 April 1990 | 30 April 1992 | 2 years, 17 days |
| 32 | Grey, JohnLieutenant General John Grey AC (born 1939) | 1 May 1992 | 7 July 1995 | 3 years, 67 days |
| 33 | Sanderson, JohnLieutenant General John Sanderson AC (born 1940) | 8 July 1995 | 18 February 1997 | 1 year, 225 days |
| Chief of Army ||||||
| (33) | Sanderson, JohnLieutenant General John Sanderson AC (born 1940) | 19 February 1997 | 23 June 1998 | 1 year, 124 days |
| 34 | Hickling, FrankLieutenant General Frank Hickling AO, CSC (born 1941) | 24 June 1998 | 15 July 2000 | 2 years, 21 days |
| 35 | Cosgrove, PeterLieutenant General Peter Cosgrove AC, MC (born 1947) | 16 July 2000 | 27 June 2002 | 1 year, 346 days |
| 36 | Leahy, PeterLieutenant General Peter Leahy AC (born 1952) | 28 June 2002 | 3 July 2008 | 6 years, 5 days |
| 37 | Gillespie, KenLieutenant General Ken Gillespie AC, DSC, CSM (born 1952) | 4 July 2008 | 24 June 2011 | 2 years, 355 days |
| 38 | Morrison, DavidLieutenant General David Morrison AO (born 1956) | 25 June 2011 | 15 May 2015 | 3 years, 324 days |
| 39 | Campbell, AngusLieutenant General Angus Campbell AO, DSC | 16 May 2015 | 2 July 2018 | 3 years, 47 days |
| 40 | Burr, RickLieutenant General Rick Burr AO, DSC, MVO (born 1964) | 2 July 2018 | 1 July 2022 | 3 years, 364 days |
| 41 | Burr, RickLieutenant General Simon Stuart AO, DSC | 2 July 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 226 days |