Chief of Army (Australia)

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.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4]

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.[5]

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.[6]

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.[7]

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.[8]

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.[9] Reflecting this change from a staff to a command role, the post was renamed Chief of Army in 1997.[10]

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.[11]

No.	Portrait	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 (born 1928)	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	1 year, 108 days

• List of Australian Army generals