Ken Gillespie

Infobox Military Person
name= Kenneth James Gillespie
lived= Birth date and age|1952|6|28|df=yes
placeofbirth= Brisbane, Queensland
placeofdeath=


caption= Ken Gillespie, the then Vice Chief of the Defence Force (Australia) at the 2008 National Anzac Day service, Australian War Memorial, Canberra.
Source=self-made
nickname= Ken
allegiance= flagicon|Australia Australia
serviceyears= 1968-Present
rank= Lieutenant General
branch= Australian Army
commands= Commander Australian Contingent, Operation Slipper
Land Commander Australia
Commander West Sector, Operation Tanager
unit=
battles= East Timor
War in Afghanistan
* Operation Slipper
awards= Officer Of The Order Of Australia
Distinguished Service Cross
Conspicuous Service Medal
laterwork=
Lieutenant General Kenneth James Gillespie AO, DSC, CSM (b. 28 June 1952), is the current Chief of the Australian Army.

Early career

Ken Gillespie enlisted in the Australian Army in 1968 as an apprentice. He graduated from the Officer Cadet School, Portsea, in 1972, gaining a commission in the corps of the Royal Australian Engineers.

Appointments

Gillespie has held a range of regimental and staff appointments:
* instructor, School of Military Engineering and
* instructor, 1st Recruit Training Battalion;
* regimental appointments in the rank of Captain and Major in:
** 2nd Field Engineer Regiment
** 5th Field Engineer Regiment
** 2nd/3rd Field Engineer Regiment
** 1st Construction Regiment
* Company Commander at the Army Apprentices School
* Senior Instructor at the School of Military Engineering
*1985: Attended the Australian Command and Staff College, Queenscliff
*1986-87: Australian Exchange Instructor at the Royal School of Military Engineering in the United Kingdom
*1989: Raised, and then deployed as the second in command and operations officer, the 2nd Australian Contingent to the United Nations Transition Assistance Group in Namibia [http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=914148&search_type=simple&showInd=true It's an Honour entry - Conspicuous Service Medal, 8 June 1992] ]
*1990-91: Standing Chairman of the Quadripartite Working Group - Engineers in the ABCA Armies Agreement
*1991: Attended the Australian Joint Services Staff College where he earned a Graduate Diploma in Strategic Studies
*1998: Member of the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom
*1999 and 2000: Senior National Officer for Australia in the ABCA Program

Senior appointments:
* Inaugural commanding officer of the 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment
* Staff Officer Operations to the Chief of the Defence Force
* Inaugural commander of the Australian Theatre Joint Intelligence Centre (ASTJIC), for which he was made a Member of the Order of Australia [http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=878656&search_type=simple&showInd=true It's an Honour entry - Member of the Order of Australia, 8 June 1998]
Citation: "For exceptional servive to the Australian Army and the Australian Defence Force, particularly in the development of the Australian Theatre Joint Intelligence Centre (ASTJIC)."]
* Inaugural Principal Staff Officer - Intelligence, Headquarters Australian Theatre (HQAST)

Gillespie was promoted to Brigadier in January 1999. In this rank:
* he was the Chief of Staff Training Command - Army,
* he commanded the United Nations Sector West multinational brigade in East Timor,
* and he was the National Commander of Australia's contribution to Operation Slipper.

Gillespie was promoted to Major General and made Land Commander Australia in January 2004, and to Lieutenant General as Vice Chief of the Defence force in 2005.

Lieutenant General Gillespie assumed his new appointment as Chief of Army on 4 July 2008.

Personal

Ken Gillespie is married to Carmel and they have a student daughter. He has two grown children from a previous marriage. He is well travelled, enjoys most sports, particularly golf, and is a keen reader. [http://www.defence.gov.au/leaders/army/kenGillespie/index.htm ADF biography] , Defence Leaders. Accessed 2008-09-14.]

Honours and awards

For his service as the Commander Australian Contingent, Operation Slipper, Gillespie was advanced to Officer of the Order of Australia in the Military Division [http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1042143&search_type=simple&showInd=true It's an Honour entry - Officer of the Order of Australia, 26 January 2003]
Citation: "For distinguished service to the Australian Defence Force as the Commander Australian Contingent, Operation SLIPPER in the Middle East between October 2001 and March 2002."]

Gillespie was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 2002 for "distinguished command and leadership" [http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1040366&search_type=simple&showInd=true It's an Honour entry - Distinguished Service Cross (Australian), 10 June 2002]
Citation: "For distinguished command and leadership as the Commander Sector West while deployed on active service with the United Nations Transitional Administration East Timor during Operation TANAGER."] whilst Commander Sector West deployed on active service with the United Nations Transitional Administration East Timor during Operation Tanager.

References

External links

* [http://www.defence.gov.au/leaders.cfm ADF Leaders page entry]
* [http://www.defence.gov.au/leaders/army/kenGillespie/index.htm Australian Defence Force Biography]
* [http://www.defence.gov.au/leaders/images/20070412/20070403adf74181_175_lo.jpgOfficial photo] ( [http://www.defence.gov.au/copyright.cfm copyright] )