Michael Slater (general)

This article is about the Australian Army officer. For the Australian cricketer, see Michael Slater.

Michael David Slater
Nickname	Mick
Born	Brisbane, Queensland
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Australian Army
Years of service	1978 – Present
Rank	Major General
Commands held	1st Division Joint Task Force 630 3rd Brigade 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
Battles/wars	International Force for East Timor Operation Astute
Awards	Distinguished Service Cross Member of the Order of Australia Conspicuous Service Cross

Major General Michael David (Mick) Slater DSC, AM, CSC is a senior officer in the Australian Army.

Early life

Mick Slater was born in Brisbane, Queensland, and educated at St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace. He later worked and studied his way through the Queensland University of Technology, joining the Australian Army in 1978, attending the Officer Cadet School, Portsea.^[1]

Service history

Slater has commanded at all levels from platoon to brigade level.

His operational commands have included the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and the 3rd Brigade on operations in East Timor, during International Force for East Timor (INTERFET). Slater was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his distinguished command and leadership while commander of 2RAR on Operation Warden, in East Timor.^[2] Also he served as an operations staff officer in the United States 3rd Army Headquarters in Kuwait on Operation Pollard.

He has undertaken formal education in mobilisation planning in the United States of America, and is a graduate of the Army Command and Staff College Fort Queenscliff, the Joint Services Command and Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College. Slater holds Masters’ Degrees in Strategic Studies and Business Administration.^[3]

Slater is currently serving as Commander Deployable Joint Force Headquarters, having previously held the position of Head Personnel Executive.

In January 2011, Slater was appointed to lead the Flood Recovery Taskforce overseeing recovery from the 2010–2011 Queensland floods.^[4] This taskforce subsequently transitioned into the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, where Slater remained until the 31st August 2011, formally handing over to former Director of the Defence Intelligence Organisation Major General Richard Wilson.

Personal

Mick Slater is married to Danielle and has three adult children from a previous marriage. He appeared on the Chaser's War On Everything because of his smart remarks to a newsreader.^[5]

Honours and awards

	Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)	Awarded for Operation Warden[2]
	Member of the Order of Australia (AM)	Awarded for Operations Larry Assist and Astute[6]
	Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC)	Australia Day Honours List 1998[7]
	Australian Active Service Medal[citation needed]	With "EAST TIMOR" clasp[citation needed]
	International Force East Timor Medal[citation needed]
	Australian Service Medal[citation needed]	With "IRAQ" & "TIMOR-LESTE" clasps[citation needed]
	Defence Force Service Medal with 3 clasps[citation needed]	30–34 years service[citation needed]
	Australian Defence Medal[citation needed]

References

1. ^ Defence Leaders' Biography archived from the original on 30 July 2008
2. ^ ^{a b} It's an Honour - Distinguished Service Cross
3. ^ International Policing - Speakers
4. ^ "Flood recovery leader appointed". Sydney Morning Herald. 5 January 2011. http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/flood-recovery-leader-appointed-20110105-19fad.html. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
5. ^ HPE Biography^{[dead link]}
6. ^ It's an Honour - Member of the Order of Australia
7. ^ It's an Honour - Conspicuous Service Cross

Military offices
Preceded by Major General Richard Wilson	Commander 1st Division May 2009 – 2011	Succeeded by Major General Rick Burr

Persondata
Name	Slater, Michael
Alternative names	Slater, Mick
Short description	Senior officer in the Australian Army
Date of birth
Place of birth	Brisbane, Queensland
Date of death
Place of death