I didn’t actually pick signals. That’s what I was allocated. It wasn’t even one of my preferences. But in hindsight it was the best place for me to go and that’s where you know the captain who was my guidance officer said, "You know Simone, I think you should go here". And I’ve had lots of fantastic opportunities. Would I go there now? Possibly not, because I’m not a particularly technically orientated person. And now that there is other things open like Engineers I would have been interested in that… knowing that also has a technical bent to it![4]
Wilkie has a Bachelor of Social Science in Human Resource Management, a Graduate Diploma in Telecommunications Systems Management, a Graduate Diploma of Strategic Studies, and a Masters of Defence Studies.[5][6]
Military career
In Wilkie's early career she served as a platoon commander with the Army's Recruit Training Battalion, as an instructor at the Royal Military College, Duntroon, and as the ARA staff with the Army Reserve 140th Signal Squadron. In 1993, she served in Cambodia as Adjutant of the Australian Force Communication Unit with the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC).[5][6]
if you haven’t worked with the American military, they have their own language. So I found it an incredibly steep take off to learn the American military language and the way they did their business inside an HQ, and then the idiosyncrasies of their Department of State and the culture between the two of them. I was sort of a go between in managing things. So the first month was a lot of different things coming at me but it was absolutely fascinating to see how a campaign actually is conducted at that level.[4]
Wilkie was awarded the United States' Bronze Star Medal for her service in Iraq.[5]
In 2011 Wilkie became the Australian National Commander in Afghanistan. As such, she was responsible for the 1,500 Australian personnel serving with Australian and international forces in the combat zone.[7] Her job also involved liaising with the commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, General John R. Allen.[4] She was awarded the Commendation for Distinguished Service "for distinguished performance of duty in warlike operations as Assistant Commander - Afghanistan, Joint Task Force 633 on Operation Slipper from September 2011 to August 2012."[9]
Major General Simone Wilkie, with General David Hurley on her right, speaking with General Martin E. Dempsey, and General Raymond T. Odierno; at National Defense University's Marshall Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington D.C., Nov. 21, 2013
After returning from Afghanistan then Brigadier Wilkie was posted as the Chief of Staff to the Chief of Army (Lieutenant General David Morrison) at Army Headquarters in Canberra. In March 2013 the Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith, announced that she would be promoted to major general and will take over as the Commander of the Australian Defence College in Canberra, commanding the Australian Defence Force Academy, Australian Command and Staff College and the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies.[10][11] There had only been five women of two-star rank in the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
As a result of an Australian Government review into the structure of the Australian Department of Defence, Wilkie was appointed as the Head of Joint Enablers in July 2015. In this position she retained her previous role and added responsibility for ADF Joint Health, Joint Logistics and Cadet and Reserve Policy.[12]
In late 2014 Wilkie was appointed to the Commission of the Australian Football League, the governing body of Australia's football code. She is also a patron of the ADF Women's Australian Rules Association and the ADF Hockey Association, and chairs the ADF Sports Council.[12] Wilkie retired from the Australian Army in 2018.[13]
Personal life
Wilkie married Andrew Wilkie, a fellow army officer in 1991.[1] They divorced in 2003.[7] She is currently married and lists her leisure activities as home renovation, and playing field hockey and golf.[6]
Asked if she had any advice for young women, Wilkie said: "If you want to serve your country, your gender is not an issue."[10]
13 June 2016, "For distinguished service to Defence Education and Training as Director General Training-Army and Commander Australian Defence College."
10 June 2013 "For distinguished performance of duty in warlike operations as Assistant Commander - Afghanistan, Joint Task Force 633 on Operation SLIPPER from September 2011 to August 2012"[9]
The Royal Military College, Duntroon, also known simply as Duntroon, is the Australian Army's officer training establishment. It was founded at Duntroon, in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, in 1911 and is at the foot of Mount Pleasant near Lake Burley Griffin, close to the Department of Defence headquarters at Russell Hill. Duntroon is adjacent to the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA), which is Australian Defence Force's tri-service military academy, which provides military and tertiary academic education for junior officers of the Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Australian Navy.
Australian Army officers receive a commission from the Governor-General of Australia, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Force. The commission is signed by both the Governor-General and the Minister of Defence. Rank insignia for commissioned officers is identical to that of the British Army, with the addition of a band containing the word "Australia" beneath the insignia.
The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) is a tri-service military Academy that provides military and academic education for junior officers of the Australian Defence Force in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as well as international trainee officers from a variety of countries. In 2016, the academy began accepting civilian students in its undergraduate courses.
This article is about women in warfare and the military (2000–present) throughout the world outside the United States. For women in warfare and the military in the United States since 2000, please see: Timeline of women in warfare and the military in the United States, 2000–2010 and Timeline of women in warfare and the military in the United States, 2011–present.
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 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 Mark Andrew Kelly, is a former senior officer in the Australian Army. He served as Commander Joint Task Force 633 commanding all Australian Forces in the Middle East Area of Operations and Afghanistan from 12 January 2009 until 14 January 2010, and as Land Commander Australia from July 2005 to December 2008. He was appointed as the Repatriation Commissioner on 1 July 2010 and served in that role until 30 June 2019.
Major General Richard Gary Wilson, AO is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army. He served as Director of the Defence Intelligence Organisation from 2009 to 2011, and Chairman of the Queensland Reconstruction Authority in the wake of the 2010–11 Queensland floods.
Lieutenant General Brian Ashley "Ash" Power is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army. Power served as Chief of Joint Operations from 2011 until his retirement in May 2014.
Lieutenant General John Graham Caligari, is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army. He served as Chief Capability Development Group from October 2014 until his retirement in August 2015.
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.
General Angus John Campbell, is a retired senior officer in the Australian Army, who served as the Chief of the Defence Force from 6 July 2018 until 10 July 2024. He was previously posted as Commander Operation Sovereign Borders from September 2013 until he was appointed Chief of Army in May 2015.
The Joint Health Command (JHC) is responsible for the delivery of military medicine and joint healthcare services to Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, including military psychiatry and rehabilitation services. The JHC is also responsible for providing strategic health policy, the development of the health preparedness of ADF personnel for operations, and the coordination of health units for deployment in support of operations. JHC is led by the dual-hatted Commander Joint Health and Surgeon General of the ADF.
Major General Roger John Noble, is a retired senior Australian Army officer and diplomat. He joined the army via the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1984 and was commissioned into the Royal Australian Armoured Corps. He 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 in 2021 and served as Australian Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism from February 2021 to February 2023, before joining Laing O'Rourke as General Manager – Defence.
Lieutenant General Susan May Coyle, is a senior officer in the Australian Army. She joined the army as a reservist in 1987 and, following training at the Australian Defence Force Academy, was commissioned into the Royal Australian Corps of Signals in 1992. She has commanded the 104th Signal Squadron (2003–04), 17th Signal Regiment (2009–10), Task Group Afghanistan (2015) and the 6th Combat Support Brigade (2017–19), and has deployed on operations to East Timor, the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan. She was appointed Commander Joint Task Force 633, with responsibility for all Australian operations in the Middle East, from January to November 2020. She was the first woman to command the task force, which had oversight for 1,200 personnel under Operation Accordion. Coyle was Head Information Warfare from January 2021 to November 2022, Commander Forces Command from November 2022 to June 2024, and assumed the role of Chief of Joint Capabilities in July 2024.
Lieutenant General Simon Andrew Stuart, is a senior officer of the Australian Army who has served as the Chief of Army since July 2022. He was commissioned into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1990. He has commanded the 8th/9th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2008–10), Joint Task Force 631 (2010) and Combined Team Uruzgan (2012–13), and deployed to East Timor as part of Operations Warden, Tanager and Astute and to Afghanistan and the Sinai Peninsula. He was Force Commander, Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai from 2017 to 2019, and Head Land Capability from 2020 to 2022. He succeeded Lieutenant General Rick Burr as Chief of Army on 2 July 2022.
Lieutenant General Gavan John Reynolds, is a retired senior officer in the Australian Army who is the Commissioner of the Australian Border Force since 2024. He joined the army via the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1985 and has spent much of his career in military intelligence. He has commanded the 1st Intelligence Battalion (2004–05) and the 6th Combat Support Brigade (2013–15), and deployed on operations to the Persian Gulf, Lebanon and Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He served as Head Military Strategic Plans from 2019 to 2020, before being appointed as the inaugural Chief of Defence Intelligence in July 2020.
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.
Lieutenant General Natasha Anne Fox, is a senior officer in the Australian Army. She joined the army via the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) in 1988 and has spent much of her career in logistics and training roles. She served as Commanding Officer/Chief Instructor at ADFA from 2009 to 2010, and deployed on operations to Israel, Syria and Lebanon and to Afghanistan. She was Head People Capability from November 2018 to December 2021, Deputy Chief of Army from February 2022 to June 2023, and was appointed the inaugural Chief of Personnel on 5 June 2023. She was both the first woman to serve as a deputy service chief and the first woman to be promoted to three-star rank in the Australian Defence Force.
Major General Wade Bradley Stothart, is a senior officer in the Australian Army. He joined the army via the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1987 and was commissioned into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. He has commanded the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2007–09), ANZAC Battle Group (2008) and Combined Team Uruzgan (2013), and deployed on operations to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Timor-Leste as part of Operations Tanager and Astute, and to Afghanistan and Kuwait. He was appointed Head People Capability in December 2021.
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