John Baker ( general ) General John Stuart Baker , ( 24 February 1936 – 9 July 2007 ) was an Australian army general . Entering the Australian Royal Military College , Duntroon in 1954 , he rose to the most senior position in the Australian Defence Force before retiring 44 years later on 7 August 1998 . Some of his many significant achievements and appointments included Chief of the ( Australian ) Defence Force from July 1995 to July 1998 , inaugural Director of the Defence Intelligence Organisation from 1990 to 1992 , and author of the highly influential 1988 " Baker Report " . Career . Baker joined the Australian Army in 1954 , where he graduated from the Royal Military College , Duntroon in 1957 , enlisting with the Royal Australian Engineers corps later graduating from the University of Melbourne with a degree in civil engineering . His first regimental posting was a one - year appointment in Papua New Guinea , and not long after he spent a year in Hawaii as an exchange officer . In 1970 – 1971 he was attached to the 1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit during the Vietnam War , where he was Mentioned in Despatches . He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1971 , Colonel in 1979 , Brigadier in 1982 , Major General in 1987 and General in 1995 . The Baker Report . In 1987 , the then Chief of the Defence Force , General P . C . Gration , tasked the then Brigadier Baker to : " 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 . 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 , a recommendation that was soon adopted by the ADF . " The Baker Report " remains the seminal work on command and control in the ADF . Honours and awards . Notes : Portrait . During General Baker ' s tenure as Chief of Defence Force , the Royal Australian Engineers arranged for his portrait to be painted by leading Australian 20th century artist , Sir William Dargie . 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 the Royal Military College , Duntroon in 2007 . General John Baker Complex - HQJOC . On 7 March 2009 the Prime Minister of Australia , Kevin Rudd , officially opened the " General John Baker Complex " , housing the Headquarters Joint Operations Command ( HQJOC ) from which joint command of the Australian Defence Force is exercised by the Chief of Joint Operations ( CJOPS ) . The complex is some 25 km from the national capital , Canberra , on the Kings Highway about half - way between the towns of Queanbeyan and Bungendore . After Mr Rudd named the complex , Mrs Margaret Baker unveilled a bronze bust of General Baker . The bust was sculpted by Hal Holman .