Geoff Brown (RAAF officer)

Air Marshal Geoffrey Charles "Geoff" Brown, AO (born 1 August 1958) is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force. He served as Chief of Air Force from 4 July 2011 until his retirement on 3 July 2015.

Geoffrey Charles Brown
Air Marshal Brown in November 2013
Born	1 August 1958 Clermont, Queensland
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Royal Australian Air Force
Years of service	1980–2015
Rank	Air Marshal
Commands held	Chief of Air Force (2011–15) Deputy Chief of Air Force (2008–11) Air Combat Group (2006) No. 82 Wing (2000–03) No. 3 Squadron (1997–00)
Battles/wars	Iraq War
Awards	Officer of the Order of Australia Legionnaire of the Legion of Merit (United States) Meritorious Service Medal (Singapore)

Military career

After studying engineering, Brown joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1980.[1] He became Officer Commanding No. 3 Squadron in 1997 and Officer Commanding No. 82 Wing in 2000.[1] He commanded fighter and air transport operations on Operation Falconer in 2003—for which he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia and made a Legionnaire of the Legion of Merit by the United States[2][3]—before becoming Officer Commanding Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems Program Office later that year.[1] Appointed Commander of the Air Combat Group in 2006, he was made Director General Capability Planning at Air Force Headquarters in 2007 and then Deputy Chief of Air Force in 2008.[1]

Brown was appointed Chief of Air Force on 4 July 2011,[4][5][6] and was advanced to Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2012 Australia Day Honours for "distinguished service to the Royal Australian Air Force".[7] On 4 April 2014, it was announced that Brown would continue as the Chief of Air Force for an extra twelve months, to July 2015.[8] Brown was a major proponent of Australia purchasing the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft.[9] After retiring from the Air Force, he took a paid position with the plane's manufacturer, as a member of the board of Lockheed Martin Australia.[10]

References

1. "Air Marshal Geoff Brown, AO". Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
2. It's an Honour – Member of the Order of Australia – 27 November 2003
   Citation: For exceptional performance of duty, particularly in regard to the development of the Australian Rules of Engagement and Targeting Directive, as the Commander Task Group 633.4, during Operation FALCONER.
3. Air Force News – Legionnaire of the Legion of Merit – 20 July 2003
   Citation: Deftly balanced participation in coalition headquarters planning and utilisation functions with his responsibilities as wartime commander to supervise, control and direct Australian forces engaged in complex airspace operations
4. "Brown becomes CAF after RAAF command changeover ceremony". 1 July 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
5. Blenkin, Max (1 July 2011). "RAAF rules the skies – and Russell". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
6. "Air Marshals". Air Marshals of the RAAF. Royal Australian Air Force Air Power Development Centre. Archived from the original on 1 June 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
7. It's an Honour – Officer of the Order of Australia – 26 January 2012
   Citation: For distinguished service to the Royal Australian Air Force in senior command and staff appointments.
8. AAP (4 July 2014). "Air Marshal Mark Binskin has been announced as the new head of the Australian defence force". SBS News. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
9. Laird, Robbin (19 September 2015). "Looking Back and Looking Forward in 21st Century Warfare: Air Marshal (Retired) Geoff Brown Looks at the Evolution of Airpower". Second Line of Defense. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
10. "Air Marshal (Ret'd) Geoff Brown AO". ce Industry Advisory Board. ACT Government. Retrieved 13 April 2020.

External links

• Official biography