Jeff Sengelman | |
---|---|
Allegiance | Australia |
Service/ | Australian Army |
Years of service | 1980–2017 |
Rank | Major General |
Commands held | Special Operations Commander Australia (2014–17) Deputy Chief of Army (2011–12) Forces Command (2011) 6th Brigade (2010–11) 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (Commando) (2000–01) |
Battles/wars | East Timor Iraq War |
Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Member of the Order of Australia Conspicuous Service Cross Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States) |
Major General Jeffery John Sengelman, DSC , AM , CSC is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army. He joined the army via the Officer Cadet School, Portsea in 1980, was commissioned into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps and spent much of his military career in special forces. He commanded the 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (Commando) (2000–01) and the 6th Brigade (2010–11), deployed on operations to East Timor and Iraq, and served as Commander Forces Command in 2011, Deputy Chief of Army from 2011 to 2012, Head of Modernisation and Strategic Planning – Army from 2012 to 2014, and Special Operations Commander Australia from 2014 until his retirement in 2017.
Sengelman entered the Officer Cadet School, Portsea, in 1980 and, on graduation, was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Royal Australian Infantry Corps on 13 June 1981. [1] [2] [3] He occupied a series of regimental, staff and training appointments in infantry and special forces units during his early career, including as a Freefall and Counter Terrorist Troop Commander and unit adjutant in the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR). [1] [3] He was promoted to lieutenant on 13 December 1982, [4] made an acting captain on 1 July 1984, [5] and advanced to substantive captain from 1 February 1986. [6]
As a major, Sengelman was Officer Commanding 2nd Sabre Squadron, SASR during the early 1990s. For his performance in the role, he was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in the 1995 Birthday Honours. [7] Sengelman assumed command of the 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (Commando) (4RAR) in January 2000. [8] 4RAR had not long come through a complete restructure to transition from a light infantry battalion to a commando special forces unit in order to supplement the capability of the SASR. [9] Three months into Sengelman's command, however, 4RAR was tasked to deploy with the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor and had to be rapidly reorganised as light infantry to meet its operational requirements. Sengelman led 4RAR in East Timor from April to October 2000, working with the East Timorese to ensure local security, gather intelligence and conduct regular patrols. [10] Sengelman relinquished command of 4RAR in Sydney in December 2001, [8] but in recognition of his "distinguished command and leadership" on operations in East Timor he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in the 2002 Birthday Honours. [11]
Sengelman was subsequently appointed Staff Officer (Policy) to the Chief of the Defence Force, was Director of Military Art at the Royal Military College, Duntroon from 2003 to 2005, [1] [3] [12] and served in the Iraq War. As a brigadier, he was Deputy Special Operations Commander Australia, chief of staff to Special Operations Command, and commanded the re-raised 6th Brigade from 2010. [1] [3] For his "exceptional service" in these roles, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2011 Birthday Honours. [13] Promoted to major general, Sengelman was made Commander Forces Command in June 2011, reposted as Deputy Chief of Army in October, and appointed as Head of Modernisation and Strategic Planning – Army in February 2012. [1] [3] In December 2014, Sengelman assumed his final military posting as Special Operations Commander Australia (SOCAUST). As SOCAUST, he was responsible to both the Chief of Army and Chief of Joint Operations for the training, capability development, and operations of Australia's special forces. [14] Sengelman was succeeded as SOCAUST by Major General Adam Findlay in June 2017, and retired from the army after a career of 37 years. [1]
Sengelman holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Arts in International Relations and a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies. He is a graduate of the Australian Command and Staff College and the United States Army War College. [1] [3]
Following his retirement from the army, Sengelman joined the board of the communications company EM Solutions in October 2017. [15] [16] He currently serves as Chairman of the Board for a publicly traded, multinational communications technology company, and a human performance optimisation company. Sengelman also mentors veterans with PTSD in his local community and serves as a Board Director of the Australian Capital Territory, Domestic Violence Crisis Service.
Sengelman is married to Julie, with whom he has a son and a daughter. He enjoys reading, Rugby Union, hiking and surfing. [3]
The Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) is the parent administrative regiment for regular infantry battalions of the Australian Army and is the senior infantry regiment of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. It was originally formed in 1948 as a three battalion regiment; however, since then its size has fluctuated as battalions have been raised, amalgamated or disbanded in accordance with the Australian government's strategic requirements. Currently, the regiment consists of seven battalions and has fulfilled various roles including those of light, parachute, motorised and mechanised infantry. Throughout its existence, units of the Royal Australian Regiment have deployed on operations in Japan, Korea, Malaya, Borneo, Vietnam, Somalia, Rwanda, Cambodia, East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Lieutenant General Sir Donald Beaumont Dunstan was an Australian Army officer who was Governor of South Australia from 23 April 1982 until 5 February 1991. A career officer, after joining the Army in 1940 during the Second World War, Dunstan graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1942 and served as an infantry officer, seeing combat against the Japanese during the Bougainville Campaign in 1945. After the war, he served in a variety of appointments, including as commander of the 1st Australian Task Force during the Vietnam War. From 1977 to 1982 he held the appointment of Chief of the General Staff, before retiring from the Army having overseen a large-scale re-organisation. Afterwards, he became the longest-serving governor of South Australia. He died in 2011, at the age of 88.
6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment is a mechanised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was originally raised in Brisbane, Queensland, on 6 June 1965 and has since then served in a number of overseas deployments and conflicts including South Vietnam, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. During the Vietnam War, the battalion earned a US Presidential Unit Citation from the United States when members from 'D' Company participated in the Battle of Long Tan on 18–19 August 1966. The battalion is currently based at Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane and forms part of the 7th Brigade.
The 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment is a mechanised infantry battalion of the Australian Army, based in Kapyong Lines, Townsville as part of the 3rd Brigade. 3 RAR traces its lineage to 1945 and has seen operational service in Japan, Korea, Malaya, Borneo, South Vietnam, Rifle Company Butterworth, East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Afghanistan and Iraq.
The special forces of the Australian Defence Force are units of Special Operations Command and associated units of the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force that conduct and or support special operations to advance and protect the national security of the Commonwealth of Australia. The special forces of Australia have a lineage to a variety of units raised in the Second World War such as the Independent and Commando Companies, Z Special Unit, Navy Beach Commandos, and the Coastwatchers. Australian special forces have most recently been deployed to Iraq in Operation Okra as the Special Operations Task Group, as the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan, in Afghanistan in support of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service and regularly for counter-terrorism pre-deploy to locations of major domestic events throughout Australia in readiness to support law enforcement such as the 2014 G20 Brisbane summit.
David Murray Horner, is an Australian military historian and academic.
General Sir Francis George Hassett was an Australian general who rose to the position of Chief of the Defence Force Staff, the professional head of the Australian Defence Force, serving in this capacity from November 1975 until April 1977. Hassett joined the Australian Army in 1935 upon gaining entrance into the Royal Military College, Duntroon. Serving with distinction in the early stages of the Second World War, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1942 at the age of 23, and posted as a staff officer for the remainder of the war.
Major General Michael David "Mick" Slater, is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army, who served as Commander Forces Command from November 2011 until his retirement in January 2015.
Major General Michael Simon Hindmarsh is an Australian military officer, who holds a senior position within the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, commanding its elite force known as the Presidential Guard. A retired senior officer of the Australian Army, he spent over 30 years with the Australian Defence Force, during which time he served as Special Operations Commander Australia from 2004 to 2008, and as Commander of Joint Task Force 633 in the Middle East Area of Operations from March 2008 to January 2009. He retired from the Australian Army in mid-2009, and joined the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces as a special advisor and later, a commander of the UAE Presidential Guard, which is a UAE Armed Forces formation that includes both conventional and special forces units.
Major General Timothy Joseph McOwan, is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army. He served as Special Operations Commander Australia from February 2008 until January 2011, and the Australian Defence Attaché and Head Australian Defence Staff in Washington, D.C. He retired from the army in 2014.
Major General Alan Lindsay "Alby" Morrison, AO, DSO, MBE was a senior officer in the Australian Army. A graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, Morrison was commissioned as an infantry officer in 1947 and served on occupation duties in Japan as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force. He later served with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, seeing combat as a platoon commander during the Korean War. After serving on the headquarters of the 28th Commonwealth Brigade, he led the 9th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, during its combat tour during the Vietnam War. His later appointments included commander of the 1st Brigade and commandant of Duntroon. He retired from the Army in 1981 after 36 years of service, and died in 2008 at the age of 80.
Major General Peter Warwick "Gus" Gilmore, is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army. A graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, he was commissioned into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps in 1983 and spent much of his career in special forces. He commanded the Special Air Service Regiment (2001–02), led the first contingent of the Australian Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan (2001–02), was responsible for the Coalition Advisory Support Team in Iraq (2005–06), and commanded International Security Assistance Force Special Operations Forces (2009–10). Following promotion to major general he held a succession of senior appointments, including Special Operations Commander Australia (2011–13), Deputy Chief of Army (2013–15), and Commander Forces Command (2015–16). His final appointment was as Head Military Strategic Commitments Division from 2016 to 2019.
Major General Daniel Francis McDaniel, is a senior officer in the Australian Army. He served as the acting Special Operations Commander Australia from September 2013 to December 2014, after Major General Gus Gilmore was reassigned. Since January 2019, he has been seconded to the United States Army Pacific and serving as Deputy Commanding General – North.
Airborne forces raised by Australia have included a number of conventional and special forces units. During the Second World War the Australian Army formed the 1st Parachute Battalion; however, it did not see action. In the post-war period Australia's parachute capability was primarily maintained by special forces units. In the early 1980s a parachute infantry capability was revived which led to the Parachute Battalion Group forming in 1983 based on the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. In 1997, a full time commando regiment was raised that was able to conduct large-scale operations which matured during the 2000s. In 2011, 3 RAR relinquished the parachute role with the Army deciding to opt out of a conventional parachute capability in preference to a special forces large-scale parachute capability.
Lieutenant General John James Frewen, is a senior officer in the Australian Army. He joined the army via the Royal Military College, Duntroon and was commissioned into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps in 1986. He has commanded the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2003–04), Combined Task Force 635 (2003), the 1st Brigade (2012–14), Military Strategic Commitments Division (2014–16) and Joint Task Force 633 (2017–18), and deployed on operations to Rwanda, the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan. He was appointed Principal Deputy Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate in March 2018, Coordinator General of the National COVID Vaccine Taskforce in June 2021, and Chief of Joint Capabilities in September 2021.
Major General Roger John Noble, is the Australian Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism and a retired senior officer in the Australian Army. He joined the army via the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1984 and was commissioned into the Royal Australian Armoured Corps. He has commanded the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, Al Muthanna Task Group (2005) and the 3rd Brigade (2013–15), and deployed six times on operations to East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq. He was seconded to the United States Army in 2016 and served as Deputy Coalition Land Force Commander, Iraq, as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, and subsequently as Deputy Commanding General – North in the United States Army Pacific (2017–19). He retired from the Australian Army and was appointed Australian Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism on 18 February 2021.
Major General Christopher Antony Field, is a senior officer in the Australian Army. He joined the army via the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1984 and was commissioned into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. He has commanded the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2003–05), Combined Joint Task Force 635 (2004–05) and the 3rd Brigade (2015–17), coordinated reconstruction efforts in Queensland in the wake of the 2010–11 Queensland floods and Cyclone Debbie, and deployed on operations to East Timor, Iraq, the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan. He was Commander Forces Command from June 2019 to February 2020, Deputy Commanding General – Operations for United States Army Central from March 2020 to November 2021, and has been Assistant to the Chief of the Defence Force since 2022.
Major General John Curtis Hartley, is an Australian defence and intelligence strategist and a retired officer of the Australian Army. He joined the army via the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1962, was commissioned into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps and spent much of his career in military intelligence. He twice deployed on operations during the Vietnam War, during which he was Mentioned in Despatches on two occasions and seriously wounded, and commanded the Albury–Wodonga Military Area and the Army Apprentices' School (1984–87). He served as General Officer Commanding Training Command (1991–92), Director of the Defence Intelligence Organisation (1992–95), Deputy Chief of Army (1995–98), and Land Commander Australia (1998–00). Since his retirement from the army in 2000, Hartley has been involved in community and veterans' organisations and is an active contributor to discussion on defence and strategic issues.
Major General Justin Frederick Ellwood,, commonly known as Jake Ellwood, is a senior officer in the Australian Army. He joined the army via the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1989 and was commissioned into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. He has commanded the 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2006–08), Overwatch Battle Group (West) (2007), Battle Group Tiger (2008) and the Combat Training Centre, and deployed on operations to Kosovo, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. He served as Deputy Chief of Army from May to December 2018, and commanded the 1st Division from December 2018 to November 2021.
Major General Brian Robert Dawson, is an Australian museum administrator and a retired senior officer of the Australian Army. He joined the army via the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1973 and was commissioned into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. He commanded the Base Administrative Support Centre (1995–96), Australian Defence Force Academy (2006–07) and Australian Defence College (2007), deployed on operations to Somalia and the Solomon Islands, and was Deputy Commander Joint Task Force 633 – Iraq from 2007 to 2008. He also served as Director General of Defence Public Affairs (2008–10) and, from 2010 to 2013, was Australia's first Military Representative to NATO and the European Union. Following his retirement from the army, Dawson joined the Australian War Memorial where he has served as Assistant Director, National Collection since December 2017.