Air Marshal Geoffrey Charles Brown, (born 1 August 1958) is a retired senior officer of the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

. He served as Chief of Air Force from 4 July 2011 until his retirement on 3 July 2015.

Military career

After studying engineering, Brown joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1980. He became Officer Commanding No. 3 Squadron in 1997 and Officer Commanding No. 82 Wing in 2000. He commanded fighter and air transport operations on

Operation Falconer Falconer may refer to: * A person skilled in the art of falconry Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey ...

in 2003—for which he was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

and made a Legionnaire of the Legion of Merit by the United StatesIt'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.
– 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—before becoming Officer Commanding Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems Program Office later that year. 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. Brown was appointed Chief of Air Force on 4 July 2011, and was advanced to

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

in the

2012 Australia Day Honours The 2012 Australia Day Honours were appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2012 by the Governor General of Australia, Quentin Bryce. The Australia ...

for "distinguished service to the Royal Australian Air Force".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. 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. Brown was a major proponent of Australia purchasing the

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, supersonic Stealth aircraft, stealth strike fighters. A multirole combat aircraft designed for both Air superiority fighter, air superiority and att ...

combat aircraft. 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 The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American Arms industry, defense and aerospace manufacturer with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta on March 15, 1995. It is headquartered in North ...

Australia.

References

External links

Official biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Geoff 1958 births Australian aviators Australian military personnel of the Iraq War Legionnaires of the Legion of Merit Living people Officers of the Order of Australia People from Clermont, Queensland Military personnel from Queensland Royal Australian Air Force air marshals Recipients of the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera) Chiefs of Air Force (Australia)