Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Justin Frederick Ellwood, (born 1970), commonly known as Jake Ellwood, is a retired senior officer of the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

. He joined the army via the

Royal Military College, Duntroon lit: Learning promotes strength , established = , type = Military college , chancellor = , head_label = Commandant , head = Brigadier Ana Duncan , principal = , city = Campbell , state = ...

in 1989 and was commissioned into the

Royal Australian Infantry Corps The Royal Australian Infantry Corps (RA Inf) is the parent corps for all infantry regiments of the Australian Army. It was established on 14 December 1948, with its Royal Corps status being conferred by His Majesty King George VI. At her corona ...

. He commanded the

5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (5 RAR) is a regular motorised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Originally established in 1965 it would serve two tours of South Vietnam before it was linked with the 7th Battalion to form th ...

(2006–08),

Overwatch Battle Group (West) Overwatch Battle Group (West) was an Australian Army battlegroup that represented Australia's largest contribution to the Multinational force in Iraq. The Battle Group was established in July 2006 and was based at Tallil Airbase in Dhi Qar Gover ...

(2007), Battle Group Tiger (2008) and the Combat Training Centre ( 2010–13), and deployed on operations to Kosovo, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. He served as

Deputy Chief of Army The Deputy Chief of Army (DCA) is the second most senior appointment in the Australian Army, responsible to the Chief of Army (CA). The rank associated with the position is major general ( 2-star). The current appointee is Major General Natas ...

from May to December 2018, and commanded the 1st Division from December 2018 to November 2021.

Early life

Ellwood was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Victoria, in 1970. He was educated at

Camberwell Grammar School , motto_translation = By our deeds may we be known , established = , type = Independent, single sex, Anglican primary and secondary day school , denomination = Anglican , slogan ...

and St Kevin's College in Toorak, graduating from the latter in 1988. The following year, he entered the

as an

officer cadet Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Air ...

, where he was classmates with fellow future generals

Craig Furini __NOTOC__ Craig may refer to: Geology *Craig (landform), a rocky hill or mountain often having large casims or sharp intentations. People (and fictional characters) *Craig (surname) *Craig (given name) Places Scotland *Craig, Angus, aka Barony of ...

Kathryn Toohey Major General Kathryn Leslei Toohey, is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army. She served as Head of Land Capability from 2017 to 2019, and Head Force Integration Division within the Vice Chief of the Defence Force Group from June 20 ...

and

Wade Stothart Major General Wade Bradley Stothart, (born 1969) is a senior officer in the Australian Army. He joined the army via the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1987 and was commissioned into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. He has commanded the ...

Military career

Ellwood graduated from Duntroon in 1990 and was commissioned into the

. His early career included postings as a

platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...

commander in the

2nd/4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 2nd/4th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (2/4 RAR) was an Australian Army infantry battalion. 2/4 RAR was formed on 15 August 1973 by linking 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. 2/4 RAR wa ...

and as an instructor in field training and tactics at Duntroon, before he was seconded to the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

from 1998 for a two-year exchange with the

Irish Guards The Irish Guards (IG), is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army and is part of the Guards Division. Together with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish infantry regiments in the British Army. The regiment has parti ...

, then stationed in Germany. During the secondment he deployed as part of the

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 ...

intervention in the

Kosovo War The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the war ...

in 1999, serving as second-in-command of an armoured infantry company in the

King's Royal Hussars The King's Royal Hussars (KRH) is a Royal Armoured Corps regiment of the British Army formed in 1992. Based at Tidworth it serves as the armoured regiment of the 12th Armoured Brigade Combat Team (ABCT). Under Army 2020 Refine, it is intended to e ...

Battle Group. For his service in Kosovo, Ellwood was awarded a Commander British Forces Commendation. He returned to Australia as a company commander and operations officer in the

5th/7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 5th/7th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (Mechanised) (5/7 RAR ECH was a mechanised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. The battalion was based at Robertson Barracks in Holtze, Northern Territory and formed part of the 1st Bri ...

(5/7RAR). Ellwood commanded B Company on operations in East Timor from October 1999 to April 2000, when 5/7RAR deployed with the

International Force East Timor The International Force East Timor (INTERFET) was a multinational non-United Nations peacemaking task force, organised and led by Australia in accordance with United Nations resolutions to address the humanitarian and security crisis that took ...

. Ellwood completed the

Australian Command and Staff College The Australian Defence College (ADC) comprises three joint education and training organisations operated by the Australian Defence Force in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: * the War College, * the Australian Defence Force Training Cent ...

in 2002 and was appointed

brigade major A brigade major was the chief of staff of a brigade in the British Army. They most commonly held the rank of major, although the appointment was also held by captains, and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section direct ...

of the 1st Brigade in

Darwin, Northern Territory Darwin ( ; Larrakia: ) is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. With an estimated population of 147,255 as of 2019, the city contains the majority of the residents of the sparsely populated Northern Territory. It is the smalle ...

. He was next posted as Director of Reserves – Army at Australian Army Headquarters in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, before assuming command of the newly de-linked

(5RAR) on 3 December 2006. In May 2007, under Ellwood's command 5RAR deployed to Iraq as the third rotation of

. Based at

Tallil Airbase Nasiriyah Airport is a public and military airport located 23 km (14 mi) southwest of Nasiriyah, Iraq. It is also known as Tallil Air Base until December 2011 and Imam Ali Air Base until March 2017, when the base was used by United ...

near

Nasiriyah Nasiriyah ( ar, ٱلنَّاصِرِيَّة; United States Board on Geographic Names, BGN: ''An Nāşirīyah''; also spelled ''Nassiriya'' or ''Nasiriya'') is a city in Iraq. It is on the lower Euphrates River, Euphrates, about south-southeas ...

, the light armoured battlegroup took part in security, stability and counter-insurgency operations as well reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in southern Iraq. Ellwood and 5RAR returned to Australia in December 2007, but the following October redeployed as Battle Group Tiger on

Operation Astute Operation Astute was an Australian-led military deployment to East Timor to quell unrest and return stability in the 2006 East Timor crisis. It was headed by Brigadier Bill Sowry, and commenced on 25 May 2006 under the command of Brigadier Michael ...

, part of the International Stabilisation Force in Timor-Leste. Ellwood relinquished command of 5RAR, and the battlegroup, to Lieutenant Colonel Darren Huxley on 31 December 2008. For his service "as a conspicuous commander and an inspirational leader" in command of Overwatch Battle Group (West), Ellwood was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

in the

2009 Australia Day Honours The 2009 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2009 by the Governor General of Australia, Quentin Bryce. The Australia D ...

. Ellwood was posted to the United States in 2009, serving as the Australian Army's liaison officer to the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

Quantico, Virginia Quantico ( or ; formerly Potomac) is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 480 at the 2010 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, DC, bordered by the Potomac River to the east a ...

. He returned to Australia to a three-year appointment as commander of the Combat Training Centre. Following completion of the Defence and Strategic Studies Course at the

Australian Defence College The Australian Defence College (ADC) comprises three joint education and training organisations operated by the Australian Defence Force in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: * the War College, * the Australian Defence Force Training Cent ...

, Ellwood deployed to Afghanistan from September 2014 as Chief of Joint Operations within Headquarters

International Security Assistance Force ' ps, کمک او همکاري ' , allies = Afghanistan , opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda , commander1 = , commander1_label = Commander , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , comman ...

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

. The role transitioned to Headquarters

Operation Resolute Support Resolute Support Mission (RSM) or Operation Resolute Support was a NATO-led multinational mission in Afghanistan. It began on 1 January 2015 as the successor to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which was completed on 28 Decem ...

from January 2015, and Ellwood returned to Australia the following September. In recognition of his "distinguished performance of duties in warlike operations", Ellwood was awarded a

Commendation for Distinguished Service The Commendation for Distinguished Service is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force, it is awarded for the distinguished performance of duties in warlike operations. The Commendation for Distinguished Service w ...

and received the

Officer of the Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

from the United States. Ellwood subsequently served as chief of staff Headquarters Forces Command and as Director General of Career Management – Army. Promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

, he was appointed

on 3 May 2018. He occupied the role for only seven months, before succeeding Major General Paul McLachlan in command of the 1st Division on 6 December 2018. Ellwood was appointed a

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

in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours, the award recognising his "remarkable capacity and exceptional leadership and management skills ... across a number of eniorroles". Ellwood relinquished command of the 1st Division to Major General Scott Winter in November 2021 and, for his "outstanding achievement" in the command, was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in the

2022 Australia Day Honours The 2022 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2022 by the Governor General of Australia, David Hurley. The Australia ...

. The following March, he was appointed State Recovery Coordinator by the Premier of Queensland to lead the large-scale recovery operations in response to the severe floods in South East Queensland. Ellwood retired from the army in December 2022, and the following March was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland Reconstruction Authority. Ellwood holds a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in Strategic Studies and International Relations and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in Strategic Studies from Deakin University, a Master of Management in Defence Studies from the University of Canberra, and a Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) from

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

Personal life

Ellwood is married to Nicole, with whom he has two children. He is patron of the 5RAR Association, and his interests include military history, scuba diving, long-distance running, and fishing.

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellwood, Jake 1970 births Australian generals Australian military personnel of the International Force for East Timor Australian military personnel of the Iraq War Australian military personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Deakin University alumni Living people Members of the Order of Australia Military personnel from Melbourne Monash University alumni Officers of the Legion of Merit People educated at St Kevin's College, Melbourne Recipients of the Commendation for Distinguished Service Recipients of the Conspicuous Service Cross (Australia) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) Royal Military College, Duntroon graduates University of Canberra alumni