Frank Hickling

Lieutenant General Francis John Hickling, AO, CSC (born 13 October 1941) is a retired senior Australian Army officer, whose career culminated with his appointment as Chief of Army from 1998 to 2000.

Frank Hickling
Born (1941-10-13) 13 October 1941
Gosford, New South Wales
AllegianceAustralia
Service/branchAustralian Army
Years of service1961–2000
RankLieutenant General
Commands heldChief of Army (1998–00)
Land Command (1996–98)
Australian Defence Force Academy (1995–96)
Training Command (1992–94)
Northern Command (c.1990–92)
Battles/warsVietnam War
Operation Bel Isi
AwardsOfficer of the Order of Australia
Conspicuous Service Cross

Military career

Hickling graduated from the Officer Cadet School, Portsea, in 1961.[1][2] He undertook regimental postings with the Royal Australian Engineers,[3] and saw service in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971.[4][5]

After serving as the Director of Plans, Army, Hickling was appointed Commander, Northern Command and received the Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC) for service in that role in 1993.[6] This was followed by a posting as General Officer Commanding Training Command from 1992 to 1994.[1]

Made commandant of the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1995,[3] Hickling was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to the Army and Australian Defence Force in the field of military training in 1996.[7] On promotion to Major General, Hickling then served as Commandant, Australian Defence Force Academy followed by Land Commander Australia from 1996 until 1998.[1] In February 1998, he led Operation Bel Isi, a peace monitoring mission to Bougainville following a break in civil unrest in the country.[8]

Hickling was promoted lieutenant general and appointed Chief of the Army in 1998.[3] As Chief of the Army he deployed Australian troops to East Timor.[9]

In retirement he chaired the Review of the Australian Defence Force Cadets (ADFC) Scheme which reported in 2008.[3] Hickling also served as Senior Mentor, Australian College of Defence and Strategic Studies, and Advisor to BAE Systems. Hickling remains the Representative Colonel Commandant, Royal Australian Engineers.[10]

References
  1. Singh, Shivani (2010). Who's Who in Australia 2010. Melbourne, Australia: Crown Content. ISBN 978-1-74095-172-2.
  2. Alumni website, Officer Cadet School, Portsea, www.ocsportsea.com
    Hickling was the first OCS Portsea graduate to reach lieutenant general and the first graduate to be appointed Chief of Army.
  3. Final Report Archived 7 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine, November 2008, Review of the Australian Defence Force Cadets (ADFC) Scheme, pg.ii
  4. Sasha Uzunov (2009) Unsung Aussie General Saved Lives In Timor, East Timor Law & Justice Bulletin, 29 October 2009.
  5. HICKLING, Francis John, Nominal Roll of Vietnam Veterans, Department of Veterans Affairs.
  6. Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC), 26 January 1993, It's an Honour
  7. Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), 26 January 1996, It's an Honour
  8. Bob Breen, Chapter 10. Challenges during the first 12 months, Struggling for Self Reliance, Four case studies of Australia’s Regional Force Projection in the late 1980s and the 1990s, anu.edu.au
  9. Commandos under attack, 5 December 2009, Team Uzunov, teamuzunovmedia.blogspot.com
  10. "General Frank Hickling". AADI Defence. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
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