Air Marshal Robert Timothy Chipman, is a senior officer in the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF) who serves as Chief of Air Force since July 2022. He joined the RAAF as an aeronautical engineer in 1989 and gained his pilot's wings in 1994. He has commanded No. 75 Squadron RAAF (2006–09), the Air and Space Operations Centre (2010–12), No. 81 Wing RAAF (2013–14) and Air Task Unit 630.1 (2014), and deployed to the Middle East on Operations Slipper and

Okra Okra or Okro (, ), ''Abelmoschus esculentus'', known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It has edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with su ...

. He served as the Australian Military Representative to

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

from 2019 to 2021 and Head Military Strategic Commitments from 2021 to 2022. He succeeded Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld as Chief of Air Force on 1 July 2022.

RAAF career

Chipman joined the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF) as an officer cadet in 1989. He graduated from the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...

with a Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering with

Honours Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...

in 1992 and gained his pilot's wings in 1994. His early career included postings to Nos. 25 and 76 Squadrons, flying the Macchi MB-326H, and later Nos. 77 and 75 Squadrons after converting to the

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twinjet, twin-engine, supersonic aircraft, supersonic, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, ...

. On qualifying as a fighter combat instructor in 1999, he was posted to No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit as an instructor on the F/A-18 Hornet and then as a fighter combat instructor and flight commander in No. 75 Squadron. Chipman was appointed executive officer of No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit in 2002, Deputy Director Firepower in the Capability Development Group in 2004, and commanding officer of No. 75 Squadron in 2006. During Chipman's command, No. 75 Squadron was awarded the

Gloucester Cup The Gloucester Cup is the common name for three awards of the Australian Defence Force officially called the Duke of Gloucester's Cup, the three awards are presented to the most proficient ship of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), infantry battali ...

as the most proficient flying squadron in the RAAF in 2008 and the Kittyhawk Trophy as the most proficient fighter squadron in 2009. On promotion to group captain in 2010, Chipman was made Director of the Air and Space Operations Centre in Headquarters Joint Operations Command. In 2012, he deployed to Qatar in support of

Operation Slipper The Australian contribution to the war in Afghanistan has been known as Operation Slipper (2001–2014) and Operation Highroad (2015-2021). Australian Defence Force (ADF) operations and the size of the forces deployed have varied and ADF invol ...

, serving as a battle director in the United States

609th Air and Space Operations Center The 609th Air Operations Center (609 AOC) is an active unit of the United States Air Force based at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The unit is responsible for the daily execution of the air tasking order (ATO) on behalf of the Combined Forces Air Co ...

. Following his return to Australia, he was appointed commanding officer of No. 81 Wing at RAAF Base Williamtown. Chipman redeployed to the Middle East in September 2014, this time as commander of Air Task Unit 630.1 on

Operation Okra Operation Okra is the Australian Defence Force (ADF) contribution to the military intervention against the Islamic State. The force is part of Joint Task Force 633 in the Middle East. The operation commenced on 31 August 2014, and its initial ...

. He returned to Australia in 2015 as the inaugural Director of Plan Jericho. Plan Jericho was a "transformation program intended to deliver joint, integrated air and space capability" for the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The following year, in recognition of his "outstanding achievement" in the Middle East, Chipman was awarded a Conspicuous Service Cross in the

2016 Australia Day Honours The 2016 Australia Day Honours were announced on 26 January 2016 by the Governor General of Australia, Sir Peter Cosgrove. The Australia Day Honours are the first of the two major annual honours lists, announced on Australia Day (26 January), wit ...

. He completed the Defence and Strategic Studies Course later that year, graduating with a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accoun ...

. Chipman subsequently served as Director General Capability Planning – Air Force and, on promotion to

air vice-marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

, was posted to Belgium in 2019 as Australian Military Representative to

and the

. In the Queen's Birthday Honours that year, he was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Order (distinction), honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of Australia, Queen of Aus ...

for his "exceptional service ... in coalition air operations, air combat capability preparedness, and strategic capability development and sustainment." Chipman returned to Australia in 2021 as Head Military Strategic Commitments, with responsibility for the strategic management and situational awareness of ADF commitments. In June 2022, the

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...

and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, announced that Chipman would be appointed as the next Chief of Air Force. Chipman succeeded Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld in the role on 1 July.

Personal life

Chipman is married to Alyce and has four children. His father, Doug Chipman, is a retired RAAF air commodore and the mayor of the

City of Clarence Clarence City Council (or City of Clarence) is a Local government in Australia, local government body in Tasmania, and one of the five municipalities that constitutes the Hobart, Greater Hobart Area. The Clarence local government area has a po ...

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Chipman, Robert Australian aviators Australian military personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Living people Members of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Conspicuous Service Cross (Australia) Royal Australian Air Force air marshals University of Sydney alumni Year of birth missing (living people)