John Cantwell (general)
| John Patrick Cantwell | |
|---|---|
|
Major General John Cantwell c.2012 | |
| Born |
9 October 1956 Ipswich, Queensland |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/branch | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1974–2012 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands held |
Joint Task Force 633 (2010–11) Deputy Chief of Army (2007–08) 1st Brigade (2004–05) Royal Military College, Duntroon (1996) |
| Battles/wars |
Gulf War Iraq War War in Afghanistan |
| Awards |
Officer of the Order of Australia Distinguished Service Cross Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States) |
Major General John Patrick Cantwell AO, DSC (born 9 October 1956) is a retired senior Australian Army officer.
Early life
Cantwell was born in Ipswich, Queensland, on 9 October 1956 to Cecily Mary (née McInnerney) and Daniel Cantwell. Growing up in Toowoomba, he was educated at Downlands College and St. Mary's College.[1]
Military career
Cantwell was a member of the Australian Army Cadets prior to joining the Australian Army in 1974 as a regular soldier with the rank of private.
He attended officer training at Officer Cadet School, Portsea in 1981, and was commissioned into the Royal Australian Armoured Corps.[2] As a major, Cantwell commanded A Sqn 4/7RDG, a British tank squadron as an exchange officer with the British in Germany. As a result of that posting, he served in Operation Desert Storm with the Coalition forces in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait (1990–1991).[3]
Cantwell was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989 in recognition of service to the Australian Army as Adjutant of the Armoured Centre.
In August 1996 Cantwell became Commanding Officer and Chief Instructor at the Royal Military College, Duntroon. In January 1999 he took up an appointment as an instructor at the British Joint Services Command and Staff College in the United Kingdom, returning to Australia as the Director of the Force Development Group, Land Warfare Development Centre, on promotion to colonel in December 2000.
Cantwell was promoted to brigadier in January 2003, and appointed Director General of Capability and Plans in Australian Defence Headquarters. Following command of the 1st Brigade (2004–2005), in early 2006 he deployed to Iraq as the Director Strategic Operations, Headquarters Multi National Forces Iraq. He was promoted in the field to the rank of major general on 4 December 2006, the first time in 60 years that an Australian was promoted to major general while on operations. He was promoted by General George Casey, (US Army) and Major General David Fastabend, (US Army). During this ceremony he was also appointed an Officer of the Legion of Merit.[4] He assumed the appointment of Deputy Chief of Army on 29 January 2007.
Cantwell was advanced to Officer of the Order of Australia in 2007 for distinguished service as the Director of Strategic Operations for the Multi-National Force – Iraq.
In February 2008 Cantwell was selected by then Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, to be the senior military member of the team working on a new Defence White Paper,[5] the paramount Australian security and defence policy document commissioned by the Australian Government.
Following the Victorian bushfires disaster of 7 February 2009, Cantwell was attached to the Office of the Premier of Victoria as the Interim Head (and later, Chief of Operations) of the Victorian Bushfires Reconstruction and Recovery Authority[6] responsible for coordinating all Commonwealth, State and non-government efforts to recover from the effects of the fires.
In 2010 he served a twelve-month tour as Commander of Australian Forces in the Middle East Area of Operations (Joint Task Force 633). As a result of Cantwell's "inspired leadership, deep commitment to his people and superior performance on operations" in the Middle East, he was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross in the 2012 Australia Day Honours List, for distinguished command and leadership in action as the Commander Joint Task Force 633 on Operations SLIPPER and KRUGER.[7] He retired from the Australian Army on 7 February 2012 after 38 years of service.
Later life
Cantwell and his wife Jane, who met while she was serving in the Australian Army, where she served for six years, moved to the Sunshine Coast, Queensland in September 2011 before he announced his retirement from the Australian Army in February 2012.[8]
John Cantwell is an occasional television commentator on military affairs and contributes articles to various newspapers and magazines in Australia. He is a nationally recognised advocate for better mental health care for Australian veterans, and is Patron or Ambassador of several organisations promoting veterans' mental health.
He has published two books:
- Exit Wounds: One Australian's War On Terror (Melbourne University Press, 2012); ISBN 9780522861785
- Leadership in Action (Melbourne University Press, 2015); ISBN 9780522868241
Honours and awards
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| | Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) | June 2007 |
| Member of the Order of Australia (AM) | January 1989 | |
| | Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) | January 2012 |
| | Australian Active Service Medal | with 3 Clasps KUWAIT, IRAQ 2003 and ICAT |
| | Afghanistan Medal | |
| | Iraq Medal | |
| | Australian Service Medal | with 1 clasp |
| | Defence Force Service Medal with 4 Clasps | 35–39 Years of Service |
| | Australian Defence Medal | |
| | Gulf Medal | (United Kingdom) with 1 clasp 16 Jan to 28 Feb 1991 |
| | Kuwait Liberation Medal | (Saudi Arabia) |
| | Officer of the Legion of Merit | (United States) 4 December 2006 |
| | NATO Medal for Service with ISAF | (NATO) |
Notes
- ↑ "Major General John Patrick Cantwell". Who's Who in Australia Online. ConnectWeb. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
- ↑ "Major General John Cantwell Biography". Department of Defence. Archived from the original on 8 September 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
- ↑ Horner 2011, p. 425.
- ↑ "Maj-Gen rises to occasion". Army – The Soldiers Newspaper. www.defence.gov.au. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ↑ Defence White Paper, 2008, www.defence.gov.au
- ↑ Victorian Bushfires Reconstruction and Recovery Authority, www.wewillrebuild.vic.gov.au
- ↑ "Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)" (PDF). Australia Day 2012 Honours Lists. Website of the Governor-General of Australia. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
- ↑ "Past Issues 2012" (URL). Community News Paper. Cooroy Rag. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
References
- Horner, David (2011). Australia and the New World Order : From Peacekeeping to Peace Enforcement: 1988–1991. The Official History of Australian Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Post-Cold War Operations. Port Melbourne,: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-76587-9.
External links
- ADF Biography
- It's an Honour entry
- Defence Media Release 27 February 2008
- Published book Exit Wounds: One Australian's War On Terror (Melbourne University Publications, 2012)
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Major General Mark Kelly |
Commander Joint Task Force 633 2010–2011 |
Succeeded by Major General Angus Campbell |
| Preceded by Major General Ian Gordon |
Deputy Chief of Army 2007–2008 |
Succeeded by Major General David Morrison |