Ian Gordon (general)

Major General Ian Campbell Gordon, AO (born 20 March 1952) is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army. He had a long and distinguished career culminating as Deputy Chief of Army (2004–2006) and Head of Mission of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (2006–2008).[1]

Ian Gordon
Born	20 March 1952 Perth, Western Australia
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Australian Army
Years of service	1970–2009
Rank	Major General
Commands held	United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (2006–09) Deputy Chief of Army (2004–06) Training Command (2002–04) Australian Command and Staff College (1998–99) 1st Signal Regiment (1990–91)
Battles/wars	Western Sahara East Timor United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
Awards	Officer of the Order of Australia

Early life

Gordon was born in Perth, Western Australia, on 20 March 1952 to Glenice Pascoe and Ivor Gordon,[2] a decorated bomber pilot who flew with No. 455 Squadron RAAF in the Second World War.[3][4] Educated at Swanbourne High School, Gordon entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon as an officer cadet in 1970. He graduated in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science in Military Studies, and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Royal Australian Corps of Signals.[2]

Military career

• 1973 – Graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon[5]
• 1973 – Commissioned into the Australian Army[1]
• 1973 – Allocated to the Royal Australian Corps of Signals[5]
• 1983 – Graduated from the Royal Military College of Sciences (Shrivenham)[1]
• 1985 – Graduated from the Australian Command and Staff College, Queenscliff[1]
• 1990 – Posted to command the 1st Signals Regiment in Brisbane[5]
• 1991 – Australian Contingent Commander in the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO)[5]
• For his service as CO 1 SIG REGT and command of the first contingent for MINURSO he was awarded the AM.[5]
• 1993 – Director of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals[5]
• 1996 – Graduated from the Australian Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies[1]
• 1998 – Appointed Commandant of the Australian Command and Staff College[1]
• 2000 – Appointed Director-General Personnel – Army[5]
• 2001 – Appointed Director-General, Future Land Warfare[5]
• 2001 September – Promoted to Major General[6]
• 2001 September – Appointed Deputy Force Commander in the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor. (UNTAET)[6]
• 2002 – Appointed Commander, Training Command – Army[6]
• 2004 May – Appointed Deputy Chief of Army[6]
• 2006 Jan – Appointed Officer of the Order of Australia for his distinguished service to the Australian Defence Force in senior command and staff appointments.[6]
• 2006 November – Appointed Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO)[1]

Personal

Gordon is married to Ula and they have three children: Tom, Alison and Jenny. His hobbies include scuba diving, touch rugby, restoring cars, reading and bushwalking.[5] Since retiring from the Australian Army, Gordon has owned and managed a small publishing business, Barrallier Books, which has a focus on deluxe books and fine writing.

References

1. UN Secretary-General appoints MAJGEN Ian Gordon as COS UNTSO, media release, 22 November 2006, www.un.org
2. "Major General Ian Campbell Gordon". Who's Who in Australia. ConnectWeb. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
3. "Gordon, Ivor Montague". World War II Nominal Roll. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
4. "Recommendation for Ivor Montague Gordon to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross". Recommendations for Honours and Awards. Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
5. Bio, Force for Good? 60 Years of Australian Peacekeeping, 1947–2007, Australian War Memorial, www.awm.gov.au
6. "Peacekeeping in the Middle East today, AIDN Lunch Briefing with Major General Ian Gordon, AO, Australian Industry and Defence Network, www.aidn.com.au" (PDF). 15 April 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2018.