Top job in Baghdad passes to Navy

By LEUT Donna Ellem

Commodore Campbell Darby has taken up his appointment as commander of the Australian forces in the Middle East Area of Operations.

Defence Minister Senator Robert Hill announced Commodore Darby has replaced Air Commodore Graham Bentley, who has commanded the Australian contingent since late May.

Based in Baghdad, Commodore Darby will lead around 850 Australian Defence Force personnel, who remain on active service in the Middle East to support Coalition stabilisation and reconstruction efforts in Iraq.

“Commodore Darby assumes command at a critical stage of the rebuilding phase of operations in Iraq, as coalition forces reinvigorate their efforts to assist with transition to self-government and establish a lasting peace,” Senator Hill said.

“Our most recent ship in the Persian Gulf, HMAS Newcastle, has done a fantastic job having conducted 475 queries of suspect vessels and 396 boardings.”

CDRE Campbell Darby was born and raised on his parents’ wheat and cattle property near Quirindi in Northern NSW before joining the RAN College at Jervis Bay in 1973.

Initial sea training culminated in the award of the Voyager Sword for the highest marks in the Midshipman’s Fleet Board.

A succession of junior sea postings followed including to Papua New Guinea as Executive officer of the PNG Heavy Landing Craft Buna in 1976/77 and as the Master Gunner of HMAS Vampire in 1978/79. Selected for Principal Warfare Officer (PWO) training he successfully completed the Royal Navy (RN) PWO course in 1981 before two years sea exchange with the RN.

In 1983, on return to Australia he became the Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) Officer and Operations Officer of HMAS Brisbane. As a Lieutenant Commander he returned to the UK to teach PWOs at the RN’s School of Maritime Operations during 1985-88.

A posting to Cairns and command of the patrol boat HMAS Ipswich during 1988-90 followed this overseas posting.

He spent a period in Maritime Headquarters (MHQ) in Sydney as the Fleet ASW Officer and then Commander-Operations followed. Early in 1991, as a Commander, he was posted to the Directorate of Naval Officers’ Postings in Canberra.

He was selected for command of the frigate HMAS Sydney in 1995 and then in 1998 he took over the position of Chief Staff Officer Operations in the headquarters responsible for all the RAN’s fleet and aviation activities.

He was Captain of the last guided-missile destroyer, HMAS Brisbane before it was decomissioned.

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