Regimental Sergeant Major

Warrant Officer Burns enlisted into the Australian Regular Army on the 31st of July 1984 and at the completion of Recruit Training was allocated to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. Upon completing Initial Employment Training he was posted to the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment where he served for 10 years in positions ranging from Rifleman, Signals Detachment Commander, Patrol Commander through to Rifle and Reconnaissance Platoon Sergeant. In January 1995 Warrant Officer Burns was posted to the Royal Military College, Duntroon, where he was an instructor in Field Training Wing and Small Arms Training Section.

In December 1997 Warrant Officer Burns was promoted to Warrant Officer Class Two and posted as the Company Sergeant Major to Alpha Company 4th/3rd Battalion, The Royal New South Wales Regiment. In December of 1999 Warrant Officer Burns was once again posted to the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment where he took up the position of Company Sergeant Major, Bravo Company. In December of 2001 Warrant Officer Burns was posted to the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra where he served as the Warrant Officer Drill and Ceremonial.

Warrant Officer Burns was promoted to Warrant Officer Class One in December 2004 and was posted to 2nd /17th Battalion, The Royal New South Wales Regiment where he served for two years as the Regimental Sergeant Major before taking up the appointment as the Regimental Sergeant Major of the 5th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (Mechanized) on the 3rd December 2006. Warrant Officer Burns was posted to Army Headquarters as the Regimental Sergeant Major, Ceremonial - Army in 2008 and commenced his tenure as the Regimental Sergeant Major, Royal Military College - Duntroon in January 2009.

Since enlisting, Warrant Officer Burns has completed numerous specialist courses. These include the Regimental Signals Course, Basic Reconnaissance and Officer/NCO Reconnaissance Courses.

Warrant Officer Burns has served overseas on operations on three occasions. The first was as a part of UNITAF in Somalia in 1992/93 where he was the Platoon Sergeant of 2 Platoon, secondly with the 1st Battalion Group, in East Timor in 2000/2001 as a part of UNTAET where he was the Company Sergeant Major of Bravo Company and finally as the Regimental Sergeant Major of Overwatch Battle Group (West) - Three in Southern Iraq.

Warrant Officer Burns is married to Susan and he has two sons, Rhys and Pierce and a daughter Amelie.