Peter Cosgrove
Encyclopedia
General
Peter John Cosgrove AC, MC
(born 28 July 1947) is a retired Australian Army
officer. He was the Chief of the Defence Force
from 3 July 2002 to 3 July 2005, when he retired from active service. In May 2010 he was appointed Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University
, taking up this post on 28 November 2010.
, then followed his father, a Warrant Officer
, into the Australian Army
by attending the Royal Military College, Duntroon
in 1965. Early in his career, Cosgrove fought in Vietnam
with the 9th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
, where he served with great distinction, receiving the Military Cross
in 1971. In 1980 he was awarded the National Medal. In the mid-1980s he commanded the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
.
Cosgrove came to national fame in 1999 when, as a Major General
, he led the international forces (INTERFET
) in a peacekeeping mission to East Timor
. The mission's success made Cosgrove one of Australia's most respected and popular military leaders. He was promoted in 2000 to Lieutenant General
as Chief of the Army (CA) and in 2002 to General
as Chief of the Defence Force
(CDF).
In 2004, then Foreign Minister Alexander Downer
queried the judgement of Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty
. Following a joint interview with then Defence Minister Robert Hill, Cosgrove was accused of "playing politics" when he said that, on this occasion, he disagreed with Keelty's point of view. However, Cosgrove expressed strong support for the Police Commissioner in his memoir published in 2006. On 3 July 2005, Cosgrove's three year appointment as Chief of the Defence Force
(CDF) was completed, and he was succeeded by then-Chief of Air Force (CAF) Air Marshal
Angus Houston
.
There was some speculation that after retirement he would take up the post of Governor-General of Australia
, or run for parliament. He has firmly ruled out all such possibilities. He consequently wrote an autobiography, My Story, which was a bestseller in Australia.
, a Category 5 tropical cyclone that devastated the Innisfail
region of northern Queensland
.
"In recognition of the important contribution General Cosgrove made to the community of North Queensland following Cyclone Larry", on 11 October 2008, Queensland Premier
Anna Bligh
announced that the new residential suburb in the Bohle Plains
area of Townsville
will be named Cosgrove.
and is on numerous other boards as Chairman or member. He is married with Lynne and has three adult sons and lives in Sydney.
Copyright pictures of Peter Cosgrove:
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Other awards not worn on ADF uniform:
General (Australia)
General is the second highest rank, and the highest active rank, of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of General; it is also considered a four-star rank....
Peter John Cosgrove AC, MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(born 28 July 1947) is a retired Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
officer. He was the Chief of the Defence Force
Chief of the Defence Force (Australia)
Chief of the Defence Force is the most senior appointment in the Australian Defence Force . The CDF commands the ADF under the direction of the Minister of Defence, in a coequal arrangement with the Secretary of Defence, the most senior public servant in the Department of Defence.The position is a...
from 3 July 2002 to 3 July 2005, when he retired from active service. In May 2010 he was appointed Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University
Australian Catholic University
Australian Catholic University is a national public university. It has six campuses and offers programs in five faculties throughout Australia.-History:...
, taking up this post on 28 November 2010.
Military service
Cosgrove was educated at Waverley CollegeWaverley College
Waverley College is a Roman Catholic, secondary, day school for boys, located at Waverley, in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
, then followed his father, a Warrant Officer
Warrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
, into the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
by attending the Royal Military College, Duntroon
Royal Military College, Duntroon
The Royal Military College, Duntroon is the Australian Army's officer training establishment. It was founded at Duntroon, in the Australian Capital Territory, in 1911 and is situated on picturesque grounds at the foot of Mount Pleasant near Lake Burley Griffin, close to the Department of Defence...
in 1965. Early in his career, Cosgrove fought in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
with the 9th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
9th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
9th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment was a Regular light infantry battalion of the Australian Army. The battalion was raised in November 1967 and deployed to South Vietnam as part of Australia’s commitment to the Vietnam War in November 1968...
, where he served with great distinction, receiving the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
in 1971. In 1980 he was awarded the National Medal. In the mid-1980s he commanded the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment is a regular light infantry battalion of the Australian Army. 1 RAR was first formed as the 65th Australian Infantry Battalion in 1945 and since then has been deployed on active service during the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency and the Vietnam War...
.
Cosgrove came to national fame in 1999 when, as a Major General
Major General (Australia)
Major General is a senior rank of the Australian Army, and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of Major General. It is the third-highest active rank of the Australian Army, and is considered to be equivalent to a two-star rank...
, he led the international forces (INTERFET
INTERFET
The International Force for East Timor was a multinational peacekeeping taskforce, mandated by the United Nations to address the humanitarian and security crisis which took place in East Timor from 1999–2000 until the arrival of United Nations peacekeepers...
) in a peacekeeping mission to East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
. The mission's success made Cosgrove one of Australia's most respected and popular military leaders. He was promoted in 2000 to Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (Australia)
Lieutenant general is the second-highest active rank of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of lieutenant general. It is also considered a three-star rank....
as Chief of the Army (CA) and in 2002 to General
General (Australia)
General is the second highest rank, and the highest active rank, of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of General; it is also considered a four-star rank....
as Chief of the Defence Force
Chief of the Defence Force (Australia)
Chief of the Defence Force is the most senior appointment in the Australian Defence Force . The CDF commands the ADF under the direction of the Minister of Defence, in a coequal arrangement with the Secretary of Defence, the most senior public servant in the Department of Defence.The position is a...
(CDF).
In 2004, then Foreign Minister Alexander Downer
Alexander Downer
Alexander John Gosse Downer is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was Foreign Minister of Australia from March 1996 to December 2007, the longest-serving in Australian history...
queried the judgement of Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty
Mick Keelty
Michael Joseph "Mick" Keelty AO APM , Australian police officer, was the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police from 2001 to 2009...
. Following a joint interview with then Defence Minister Robert Hill, Cosgrove was accused of "playing politics" when he said that, on this occasion, he disagreed with Keelty's point of view. However, Cosgrove expressed strong support for the Police Commissioner in his memoir published in 2006. On 3 July 2005, Cosgrove's three year appointment as Chief of the Defence Force
Chief of the Defence Force (Australia)
Chief of the Defence Force is the most senior appointment in the Australian Defence Force . The CDF commands the ADF under the direction of the Minister of Defence, in a coequal arrangement with the Secretary of Defence, the most senior public servant in the Department of Defence.The position is a...
(CDF) was completed, and he was succeeded by then-Chief of Air Force (CAF) Air Marshal
Air Marshal (Australia)
Air marshal is the second highest active rank of the Royal Australian Air Force and was created as a direct equivalent of the British Royal Air Force rank of air marshal, it is also considered a three-star rank...
Angus Houston
Angus Houston
Air Chief Marshal Allan Grant "Angus" Houston AC, AFC is a retired senior commander of the Royal Australian Air Force and was the Chief of the Defence Force from 4 July 2005 until his retirement on 3 July 2011...
.
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
, or run for parliament. He has firmly ruled out all such possibilities. He consequently wrote an autobiography, My Story, which was a bestseller in Australia.
Cyclone Larry Taskforce
On 23 March 2006, Cosgrove was selected to lead the Queensland Government taskforce of rebuilding communities damaged by Cyclone LarryCyclone Larry
Severe Tropical Cyclone Larry was a tropical cyclone that made landfall in Australia during the 2005-06 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season. Larry originated as a low pressure system over the eastern Coral Sea on 16 March and was monitored by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology in...
, a Category 5 tropical cyclone that devastated the Innisfail
Innisfail, Queensland
Innisfail is a town located in the far north of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the major township of the Cassowary Coast and is well renowned for its sugar and banana industries, as well as for being one of Australia's wettest towns...
region of northern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
"In recognition of the important contribution General Cosgrove made to the community of North Queensland following Cyclone Larry", on 11 October 2008, Queensland Premier
Premiers of Queensland
Before the 1890s, there was no developed party system in Queensland. Political affiliation labels before that time indicate a general tendency only. Before the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, political parties were more akin to parliamentary factions, and were fluid, informal and...
Anna Bligh
Anna Bligh
Anna Maria Bligh is an Australian politician and the Premier of Queensland since 2007. The 2009 Queensland state election was the first time a female-led political party won or retained state or federal government in Australia...
announced that the new residential suburb in the Bohle Plains
Bohle River Aerodrome
Bohle River Aerodrome was an aerodrome located west of Townsville, Queensland, Australia.The aerodrome was constructed in 1942, during World War II, for the Royal Australian Air Force as part of a group of airfields to be used as aircraft dispersal fields in the event of Imperial Japanese attack...
area of Townsville
Townsville, Queensland
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...
will be named Cosgrove.
Personal life
Peter Cosgrove is on the board of Australia's main airline QantasQantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
and is on numerous other boards as Chairman or member. He is married with Lynne and has three adult sons and lives in Sydney.
External links
- Cosgrove bio, Australian War Memorial
- Cosgrove bio, www.icmi.com.au
- Pictorial bio, www.diggerhistory.info
Copyright pictures of Peter Cosgrove:
- 2007 picture in civies from transcript of ABC Talking Heads interview
- 2006 picture from Cosgrove admits he was wrong about Iraq, news.com.au, 15 October 2006 – promoting release of Cosgrove's autobiography.
- 2005 (June), Pre-retirement – signing MOAMemorandum of AgreementA memorandum of agreement or cooperative agreement is a document written between parties to cooperatively work together on an agreed upon project or meet an agreed objective. The purpose of an MOA is to have a written understanding of the agreement between parties.An MOA is a good tool to use for...
with Steve GumleyStephen GumleyStephen John Gumley, AO was the first Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Defence Materiel Organisation, serving in the role from February 2004 to July 2011.-Education:...
(CEO of DMODefence Materiel OrganisationThe Defence Materiel Organisation is the Australian Government agency responsible for the acquisition, through-life support and disposal of equipment for the Australian Defence Force...
) and Ric Smith (former Secretary, Australian DoD) – from New Era for DMO and Defence, Defence Annual Report 2004-2005 - 2005 picture from ABC interview on release of Cosgrove's autobiography, 2 Nov 2006.
- 2004 Official portrait
- 2002 picture at the Australian Chief of Defence Change of Command Ceremony.
Awards
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Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) | (Military division) 25 March 2000 |
| Member of the Order of Australia (AM) | (Military division) 26 January 1985 | |
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Military Cross Military Cross The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.... (MC) |
12 February 1971 for gallantry in Vietnam. |
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Australian Active Service Medal 1945-1975 Australian Active Service Medal 1945-1975 The Australian Active Service Medal 1945–1975 recognises the service of Australian Defence Force and certain other persons in prescribed warlike operations in the period after World War II, and prior to February 1975... |
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Vietnam Medal Vietnam Medal The Vietnam Medal was a joint Australian and New Zealand campaign medal awarded for service in the Vietnam War.The medal was jointly developed by Australia and New Zealand, although there were separate Royal authorisation warrants for each country.... |
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Australian Active Service Medal Australian Active Service Medal The Australian Active Service Medal is an Australian military decoration. It was authorised 13 September 1988 to recognise prescribed service in warlike operations... |
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International Force East Timor Medal International Force East Timor Medal The International Force East Timor Medal recognises members of the Australian Defence Force who served for 30 days in East Timor during the INTERFET campaign... (INTERFET) |
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Australian Service Medal 1945-1975 Australian Service Medal 1945-1975 The Australian Service Medal 1945–1975 recognises service in peacekeeping or non-warlike operations in the 30-year period following World War II, and prior to February 1975. The medal was established on 22 February 1995... |
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Centenary Medal Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the Centenary of Federation of Australia and to honour people who have made a contribution to Australian society or government... |
1 January 2001 |
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Defence Force Service Medal Defence Force Service Medal The Defence Force Service Medal is an Australian Military award given for long service by permanent members of the Australian Defence Force... with Federation Star |
(40–44 years service) |
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National Medal National Medal (Australia) The National Medal is an Australian award given for long service by operational members of specified eligible organisations. It was introduced in 1975, as an original component of the new Australian honours system, and replaced a range of medals available to military and civilian uniformed... |
16 October 1980 |
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Australian Defence Medal Australian Defence Medal The Australian Defence Medal is an Australian military decoration which recognises current and former Australian Defence Force personnel who completed an initial enlistment period, or four years service... |
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Vietnam Campaign Medal Vietnam Campaign Medal The Vietnam Campaign Medal is a military recognition awarded by the Republic of Vietnam, , to any member of the United States, Australian, New Zealand and allied military forces serving six months or more in support of Republic of Vietnam military operations.Established in 1966, the decoration is... (Republic of Vietnam South Vietnam South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon... ) |
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Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five... (CNZM) |
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Commander of the United States Legion of Merit Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements... |
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Order of National Security Merit (Tong-il Medal) (South Korea South Korea The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south... ) |
within the Order of National Security Merit |
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Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) The Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang is awarded to members of the Singapore Armed Forces for exceptionally distinguished service or merit in senior command or staff positions.... (Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... ) |
Distinguished Service Order (Military) 7 September 2004 |
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Officer of the Légion d'honneur Légion d'honneur The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802... (France) |
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| Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry (Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique) Order of Prince Henry (Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique) The Order of Prince Henry the Navigator is a Portuguese National Order of Knighthood created on June 2, 1960, to commemorate the fifth centenary of the death of the Infante Henry the Navigator , fifth son of King John I of Portugal and his queen, Philippa of Lancaster... (Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... ) |
28 May 2002 |
Other awards not worn on ADF uniform:
| Australian of the Year Australian of the Year Since 1960 the Australian of the Year Award has been part of the celebrations surrounding Australia Day , during which time the award has grown steadily in significance to become Australia’s pre-eminent award. The Australian of the Year announcement has become a very prominent part of the annual... |
2001 |