Vice Admiral David Johnston named new Defence Force chief
The nation’s most experienced military commander, Vice Admiral David Johnston, will replace Angus Campbell in July.
Australia’s next Defence chief will serve just two years in the job as the government opts for a “safe” short-term appointment to push through sweeping changes to the force.
Vice Chief of the Defence Force David Johnston, who began his military career as a cadet midshipman in 1978, will take over from incumbent CDF General Angus Campbell July.
Vice Admiral Johnston, in his early 60s, was appointed to the post ahead of younger and widely-tipped candidate, Chief of Navy Mark Hammond.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said the veteran commander – the first naval officer to take the post in 22 years – was the right person to lead the ADF as it prepared for nuclear submarines and a massive surface fleet overhaul.
“He has been in the engine room of all the work that we have done over the last two years, and this is a moment where we need a safe pair of hands and deep experience to take our Defence Force forward,” he said.
Vice Admiral Johnston will serve just half the usual four-year term, at his own request, reflecting his age and intense workload over the past decade at the ADF’s most senior ranks.
He will take over an organisation with huge plans but little new money, amid rising strategic threats and a recruiting crisis that has seen the size of the force go backwards.
The two-year appointment will align his term with those of the service chiefs, paving the way for generational change in 2026.
It draws the curtain on General Campbell’s polarising reign as CDF, which was marred by repeated capability bungles and his widely-criticised response to the Brereton war crimes inquiry.
Anthony Albanese said Admiral Johnston’s appointment was an “easy decision”, highlighting his experience in managing the wider defence force.
“His understanding of integrated defence will be critical to delivering on the priorities and recommendations of the Defence Strategic Review, ensuring that our Defence Force has the right capabilities and the right leadership to meet the challenges ahead,” the Prime Minister said.
In other changes, the current Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Robert Chipman, has been appointed to replace Admiral Johnston as VCDF, while head of joint operations Greg Bilton – who was also tipped for the CDF role – will leave the ADF.
Air Marshal Stephen Chappell, the son of cricket legend Greg Chappell, has been appointed to lead the RAAF.
Lieutenant-General John Frewen, who led the Morrison government’s vaccine rollout, will be replaced as chief of joint capabilities by Major-General Susan Coyle – one of three women to hold one of the ADF’s ten three-star positions.
Admiral Johnston said he was honoured to lead the “extraordinary men and women” of the ADF.
He said the nation had a “very capable defence force” that would be made even stronger.
But he ducked questions on the threat posed by China, and whether ADF commanders should be stripped of medals over the war crimes committed by Australian personnel in Afghanistan.
He said he would appeal to young people’s sense of duty to reverse the slump in recruits, declaring “the security of our nation is something that is at the forefront of what we need young Australians to be involved in”.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute senior analyst Euan Graham said while Admiral Johnston was a highly-experienced commander, his appointment, while showed the government had no appetite for a transformational change.
“The fact that there hasn't been a radical realignment of personalities maybe reflects the fact that Defence is not really the government's top priority. Although strategically, I think it needs to be,” he said.
Australian Defence Association executive director Neil James said Admiral Johnston was the standout candidate to take the post.
“It’s a very logical choice. There was only one other person in the running, perhaps two. It will ensure continuity and he’s admirably equipped for the job,” Mr James told the ABC.
He said the new CDF came into the role well prepared for what lay ahead.
“We could potentially be in a pre-war situation in the next few years and so you need some continuity,” Mr James said.
Peter Dutton and opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie welcomed Admiral Johnston’s promotion.
“As Australia faces increasingly challenging strategic circumstances, we need strong leaders who will ensure our ADF is well-equipped with the capabilities and personnel needed to defend our nation,” they said.
Labor extended both General Campbell’s and Admiral Johnston’s terms for two years upon coming to office.
When he retires, Admiral Johnston will have been the ADF’s longest-ever holder of a three-star rank or higher.
Many in the defence community believed he was preparing for retirement after six years as VCDF, and four years before that as chief of joint operations.
Former Defence official Michael Shoebridge said General Campbell’s legacy was one of “leadership through drift and inaction”, at a time when the ADF needed “rapid, decisive change”.
“(It was a) time of lost opportunity to close the gap between the urgency of our dangerous security environment and our limited military capability, despite having billions of taxpayer dollars to deal with that problem,” Mr Shoebridge told The Australian.
SAS Association chair Martin Hamilton-Smith said General Campbell’s time as CDF was marred by his handling of war crimes allegations against special forces soldiers in Afghanistan.
He said General Campbell threw out “due process” in his response to the Brereton war crimes report, subjecting veterans to a “circus of accusation” that had caused widespread harm to veterans.
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