Defence

General Orders

I have never made a secret of my enormous pride in the men and women of the ADF and the wonderful support they receive from civilians in Defence

Handing over the reins of the ADF...

Gen Peter Cosgrove, Chief of the Defence Force

On the eve of my retirement as CDF, reflect with great confidence on the Defence organisation and the men and women who serve this nation so well.

The tumultuous opening events of the 21st Century - September 11, Afghanistan, Bali, Iraq and Madrid - fundamentally changed the internationally security outlook and had a major impact on the environment in which we operate. In the few short years of this new century the ADF's mission of defending Australia and its national interests became much more complex.

We have adjusted to our changed strategic environment and have embraced the fact that in order to defend Australia and its national interests we must be a flexible and highly adaptable defence force. We must be able to respond faster than ever to emerging crises and we must also work more closely with other government agencies as part of a whole-of-Government response to national security.

I believe the Defence organisation has met the challenges posed by our changed strategic environment with great professionalism. During the last five years the ADF has proved that it is combat capable, rapidly deployable, responsive to change and profoundly professional. Defence has also proved on many occasions that we can work effectively with other government departments as part of a whole-of-Government approach to modern security challenges. I am delighted with the way that we have been able to transform and adapt while maintaining a high operational tempo.

Today the ADF must be capable of many things and this has been reflected in the ADF's operational roles. At no other time in my period of service have we had ADF elements committed simultaneously to so many diverse operational scenarios. Our people are meeting a wide array of demands, using a variety of skills from war fighting to peace keeping. From border protection through to supporting UN mandated operations and coalition operations - our people are making a real difference both at home and abroad.

I have never made a secret of my enormous pride in the men and women of the ADF and the wonderful support they receive from civilians in the Defence organisation. You are all a credit to the nation and have burnished the reputation of our country by meeting, in your inimitable manner, every one of the diverse challenges that have been thrown at you.

Your performance on operations has been outstanding and this could only be achieved by having the right training, the right equipment but most importantly by having the right people.

The operational environments we work in are demonstrably different, from Iraq to East Timor, but the way you face the challenges of each is superb.

During my time as CDF I have visited many hundreds of our people on operations. I have never been more proud of your cheerful professionalism, hardihood, energy and commitment, which marks you as being in the front rank of military forces anywhere.

From my experience, I can say that our success in recent military operations stems from being able to deploy experienced and disciplined military forces who are given excellent support from the wider Defence organisation. Those who work to support our people on operations do a tremendous job. Our operations would not be so successful without the dedication and hard work you display behind the scenes.

I thank Ric Smith for his leadership of the department and for his unwavering support and friendship during my time as CDF. Ours has been a true partnership. It has been a pleasure and an honour to jointly lead the Defence organisation with him.

I congratulate Air Marshal Angus Houston on his appointment as the new CDF and promotion to Air Chief Marshal. It is a privilege to hand over command of the ADF to such a distinguished and capable officer.

I also congratulate the members of the new team: Vice Admiral Shalders as the new Chief of Navy, Lieutenant General Leahy who continues as Chief of Army, Air Vice Marshal Geoffrey Shepherd as the new Chief of Air Force, and Major General Ken Gillespie as the new Vice Chief of the Defence Force.

I thank Vice Admiral Chris Ritchie for his superb leadership of the Navy for the last three years and wish him well in his retirement.

Air Marshal Houston and his new leadership team bring a wealth of operational experience and seasoned leadership to the command of the ADF. I know that they will continue to successfully lead the ADF through the challenging times ahead and further enhance the ADF's reputation and good standing in the community.

I leave the ADF in very capable hands. It has been an honour to command such skilled and talented people. I thank you for your support during my time as CDF and I wish you all the very best for the future.

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