Defence Leaders: Army
Major General Paul Symon, AO
Deputy Chief of Army
Major General Paul Symon is the 47th Deputy Chief of the Australian Army. Born in Melbourne in 1960, he graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in 1982 as recipient of the Sword of Honour and its senior cadet. He was allotted to the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery and has seen service with the gunners in many postings, culminating in command of the 1st Field Regiment in 1998-1999.
Major General Symon has served on operations four times. His most important joint command was in late 2005 until mid 2006 when appointed Commander Middle East. This appointment gave him national command responsibility for all soldiers, sailors and airmen/women in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He advised the United Nations Special Representative in East Timor in the four months prior to the deployment of INTERFET.
This entailed close liaison with the Indonesian military, Falantil and militia leaders prior to, during, and after the vote for independence in 1999. For his leadership in East Timor and in command, he was named a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2000 Queen’s Birthday honours list.
In 1997 he served with the United Nations in South Lebanon and the Golan Heights in a period of great tension between Hezbollah and the Israeli Defence Force. And in 2003, he was appointed as the senior military adviser for the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands. It was in this period that a significant number of militia leaders were jailed and a very successful gun amnesty organised.
Major General Symon has taught at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, in the UK, has served as Army’s Director General of Personnel, its Director General of Preparedness and Plans and as Director General Pacific in International Policy Division. He has also served as the Chief of Staff of Army’s 1st Division in Brisbane.
Academically, Major General Symon holds two Master’s degrees: from Deakin University and from the University of New South Wales. He is a graduate of Army’s staff college and of the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies in Canberra.
He was promoted to Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2007 Australia Day honours list in recognition of his operational service in the Middle East.
Personal Details
Major General Symon is married to his wife of 25 years (Kate) and they have two teenage children. He gains pleasure running half marathons and in the company of his family and friends.