Mark Kelly (general)
Mark Andrew Kelly | |
|---|---|
Land Command (2005–08) 1st Division (2004–05) 3rd Brigade (2000–02) 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1995–97) | |
| Battles/wars | Rhodesia
War in Afghanistan
|
| Awards | Officer of the Order of Australia Distinguished Service Cross Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States) |
| Other work | Repatriation Commissioner (2010–19) Colonel Commandant of the Royal Australian Regiment (2011–19) |
Land Commander Australia
from July 2005 to December 2008. He was appointed as the Repatriation Commissioner on 1 July 2010 and served in that role until 30 June 2019.
Early life
Mark Andrew Kelly was born on 31 October 1956 in Sydney, New South Wales, and educated at James Ruse Agricultural High School, graduating in 1974.[1][2]
Military career
Kelly entered the
Sword of Honour.[3] In the same year, Kelly received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New South Wales
.
Allocated to the
Army Command and Staff College in 1990 and then served as the Brigade Major of 3rd Brigade from January 1991 until December 1992. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in January 1993 and served in staff appointments in Army Headquarters until December 1995. He also completed a Master of Arts in Defence Studies from the University of New South Wales
in 1995.
From December 1995 to December 1997, Kelly was Commanding Officer of the
Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies at the Australian Defence College
in Canberra in 2000.
Kelly was promoted to
Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. He was appointed an Officer of the United States Legion of Merit
for his exceptional service in that appointment.
Promoted to
Officer of the Order of Australia "for distinguished service to the Australian Army in the fields of training, personnel and operations, in particular as the Commander of the 1st Division and as the Land Commander Australia."[5]
In an official ceremony on 12 January 2009, Kelly succeeded Major General
Middle East Area of Operations and Afghanistan for a period of 12 months. He relinquished command of JTF 633 to Major General John Cantwell on 14 January 2010. Kelly was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in the 2011 Australia Day Honours List for his "distinguished leadership, exceptional professionalism and unwavering dedication in an extremely ambiguous and dangerous operational environment" as Commander JTF 633.[6][7]
Kelly was transferred to the Army's Standby Reserve on 5 June 2010.
Post-army
On 1 July 2010, Kelly assumed the appointment of Repatriation Commissioner, the Services' Member of the Repatriation Commission and the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission. These commissions supervise the Department of Veterans' Affairs in delivering compensation, health care and support to veterans, serving and former serving personnel of the ADF, widows, children and dependants. He completed his appointment on 30 June 2019 after nine years in that role.[8][9]
Kelly was appointed as the
Colonel Commandant of the Royal Australian Regiment on 1 July 2011 and completed his appointment on 30 June 2019 after eight years in that role.[10]
Personal
Kelly is married to Gabrielle and they have a son, Christopher. He enjoys reading, listening to music and many sports, especially rugby and golf.
Notes
- ^ a b Eddie Woo (9 April 2012). "Major General Mark Andrew Kelly, AM". Year pages > 1974, James Ruse Union. James Ruse Agricultural High School.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ Mark Kelly, Official ADF Biography, www.defence.gov.au Archived 23 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Change of Command, Army – The Soldiers' Newspaper, 30 June 2005, Edition #1123, www.defence.gov.au
- ^ Member of the Order of Australia (AM), 26 January 2000, It's an Honour.
Citation: For exceptional service to the Australian Army in demanding command and staff appointments, particularly as Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, and as the Chief of Staff at Deployable Joint Force Headquarters. - ^ Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), 26 January 2008, It's an Honour.
Citation: For distinguished service to the Australian Army in the fields of training, personnel and operations, in particular as the Commander of the 1st Division and as the Land Commander Australia. - ^ 2011 Australia Day Honours List – Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). www.gg.gov.au Archived 22 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), 26 January 2011, It's an Honour.
Citation: For distinguished command and leadership in action in the Middle East Area of Operations as the Commander Joint Task Force 633 for Operations CATALYST, SLIPPER and KRUGER from January 2009 to January 2010. - ^ "Appointment of New Repatriation Commissioner" (PDF). Ministerial Media Release. Department of Veterans’ Affairs. 26 February 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
- ^ "New Commissioner Starts Work" (PDF). Ministerial Media Release. Department of Veterans’ Affairs. 1 July 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
- ISSN 0729-5685. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 March 2016.
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