Defence Leaders: Senior Leaders
Mr Steve Meekin, AM
Deputy Secretary, Intelligence and Security
Steve Meekin was appointed Deputy Secretary, Intelligence and Security in the Department of Defence in March 2012.
He is responsible for leading the Intelligence and Security Group which consists of the Defence Signals Directorate, Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation, Defence Intelligence Organisation and Defence Security Authority.
Prior to this appointment Steve was the Director of the Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation and had an extensive career in the Australian Army, retiring as a Major General in 2010.
During his Army career, Steve gained extensive operational and intelligence experience serving in the infantry as a soldier and as an artillery and intelligence officer. He held senior appointments in the three Defence strategic intelligence agencies. He has also served with the armed forces of the United Kingdom and the United States and completed a number of operational deployments in the Middle East, especially in the Sinai, in Iran and Iraq with the United Nations and more recently commanding a task force in Iraq.
Steve is a graduate of the Royal Military College Duntroon, Army Command and Staff College, Joint Services Staff College, Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies and the Australian Graduate School of Management. His academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science. Steve was appointed an Officer of the United States Legion of Merit for his command and leadership in Iraq and a Member of the Order of Australia for his performance in senior intelligence and command appointments.