Mick Mumford | |
|---|---|
 Colonel Mick Mumford, June 2007 | |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/ | Australian Army Australian Army Reserve |
| Years of service | 1986–present |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands held | 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War Operation Anode Operation Astute |
| Awards | Conspicuous Service Cross |
Colonel Michael Anthony Mumford, CSC is a career officer in the Australian Army, now serving as a part of the Australian Army Reserve.
Colonel is a senior military officer rank below the brigadier and general officer ranks. However, in some small military forces, such as those of Monaco or the Vatican, colonel is the highest rank. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
The Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC) is a decoration (medal) of the Australian honours system. It is awarded "for outstanding devotion to duty or outstanding achievement in the application of exceptional skills, judgment or dedication, in non-warlike situations". In October 2017, 1002 people were listed as recipients All ranks are eligible for the award.
An officer is a member of an armed forces or uniformed service who holds a position of authority.
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He came to prominence in 2006:
- Commanding Officer, 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, from early 2006, with the rank of lieutenant colonel;
- As CO of Private Jacob Kovco, the first Australian soldier to die during the Iraq campaign (April 2006);
- Commanding 3RAR during:
- Operation Anode (Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, specifically the Australian response to riots following 2006 general election, April 2006);
- Operation Astute responding to riots in East Timor (May–June 2006);
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania lying to the east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu and covering a land area of 28,400 square kilometres (11,000 sq mi). The country's capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal. The country takes its name from the Solomon Islands archipelago, which is a collection of Melanesian islands that also includes the North Solomon Islands, but excludes outlying islands, such as Rennell and Bellona, and the Santa Cruz Islands.
Operation Astute was an Australian-led military deployment to East Timor to quell unrest and return stability in the 2006 East Timor crisis. It was headed by Brigadier Bill Sowry, and commenced on 25 May 2006 under the command of Brigadier Michael Slater. The operation was established at the request of East Timor's government, and continues under an understanding reached between Australia, East Timor, and the United Nations, with the United Nations Integrated Mission in East Timor supporting and helping to develop East Timor's police force. Other countries deploying soldiers to East Timor include Malaysia, New Zealand and East Timor's former colonial power Portugal, operating under independent command.
East Timor or Timor-Leste, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Maritime Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island surrounded by Indonesian West Timor. Australia is the country's southern neighbour, separated by the Timor Sea. The country's size is about 15,007 km2.
The 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment is a mechanised infantry battalion of the Australian Army, based in Townsville as part of the 3rd Brigade. 3 RAR was initially formed in 1945 as the 67th Battalion and has seen active service in Japan, Korea, Malaya, South Vietnam, East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Lieutenant colonel (pronounced Lef-ten-ent Kernel or Loo-ten-ent Kernel ) is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence. Sometimes, the term 'half-colonel' is used in casual conversation in the British Army. A lieutenant colonel is typically in charge of a battalion or regiment in the army.
Jacob Bruce "Jake" Kovco was a private in the Australian Army who was killed while deployed to Iraq, fatally wounded by a single shot to the head from his own Browning 9mm sidearm. He was the first Australian soldier to die while deployed to the Middle East Area of Operations. A military inquiry found Private Kovco accidentally shot himself while mishandling his pistol. This conclusion was disputed by his family and on 2 April 2008, a second inquest returned a similar verdict, finding that his death was "irresponsibly self-inflicted", and that when he pulled his gun's trigger he "disregarded the possible consequences of danger".
He was promoted to the rank of colonel in late 2013.
