Major General John Curtis Hartley, (born 5 January 1943) is an Australian defence and intelligence strategist and a retired officer of the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is 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 ...

. He joined the army via the

Royal Military College, Duntroon The Royal Military College, Duntroon, also known simply as Duntroon, is the Australian Army's Officer (armed forces), officer training establishment. It was founded at Duntroon, Australian Capital Territory, Duntroon in Canberra, Australian Capi ...

in 1962, 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 ...

and spent much of his career in

military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis List of intelligence gathering disciplines, approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist Commanding officer, commanders in decision making pr ...

. He twice deployed on operations during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, during which he was

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

on two occasions and seriously wounded, and commanded the Albury–Wodonga Military Area and the Army Apprentices' School (1984–87). He served as

General Officer Commanding General officer commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (and some other nations, such as Ireland) to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC ...

Training Command (1991–92), Director of the

Defence Intelligence Organisation The Defence Intelligence Organisation (DIO) is an Australian government military intelligence agency responsible for strategic intelligence and technical intelligence assessments, advising defence and government decision-making on national sec ...

(1992–95), Deputy Chief of Army (1995–98), and Land Commander Australia (1998–00). Since his retirement from the army in 2000, Hartley has been involved in community and veterans' organisations and is an active contributor to discussion on defence and strategic issues.

Early life

John Curtis Hartley was born in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, Wales, on 5 January 1943 to Dorothy Ann Prosser and John Curtis Hartley. The family settled in Australia in 1953, where Hartley was educated at Nambour State High School on

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

's Sunshine Coast. He later obtained a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree from the

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

Military career

Hartley entered the

as an

officer cadet Officer cadet is a rank held by military personnel during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by personnel of University Service Units such as the University Officers' Training Corps. Th ...

in February 1962. On graduation, he was commissioned a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the

on 15 December 1965 and posted to a

platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

command in the

5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (5 RAR) was 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, Royal A ...

(5RAR). Shortly after, 5RAR was mobilised for deployment to

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. The battalion underwent three months of rigorous training prior to emplaning for Vietnam, arriving on 8 May. Within two weeks, Hartley and 5RAR were engaged in active operations. Alongside the United States 503rd Infantry Regiment and the

1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) is a regular motorised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. 1 RAR was first formed as the 65th Australian Infantry Battalion of the 34th Brigade (Australia) on Balikpapan in 1945 and since ...

, 5RAR took part in Operation Hardihood to clear an area in Phước Tuy Province to establish

Nui Dat Nui Dat (Núi Đất) is the former military base of the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) now part of Ba Ria city in Ba Ria–Vung Tau province, Vietnam. It is not the name of an official ward, it just means "land hill" or "soil hill" (:wikt:nú ...

, a base of operations for the

1st Australian Task Force The 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) was a brigade-sized formation which commanded Australian Army, Australian and New Zealand Army units deployed to South Vietnam between 1966 and 1972. 1 ATF was based in a rubber plantation at Nui Dat, north ...

. Hartley was twice

for his distinguished performance in Vietnam. Hartley returned from Vietnam in May 1967 and was posted as aide-de-camp to the

Northern Command in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

. He was advanced to temporary

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 24 July that year, appointed General Staff Officer (Grade 3) Operations at headquarters 6th Task Force in 1968, and made

substantive In grammar, a noun is a word that represents a concrete or abstract thing, like living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, and ideas. A noun may serve as an object or subject within a phrase, clause, or sentence.Example ...

captain from 15 December 1969. In April 1970 he returned to Vietnam for a second tour, this time as a military advisor with the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam. In this capacity, Hartley was a Senior Advisor to a battalion of the

Army of the Republic of Vietnam The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; ) composed the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. Its predecessor was the ground forc ...

. He was seriously wounded while operating in Phước Tuy Province on 21 March 1971 and was evacuated to Australia on 5 April, but in recognition of his service Hartley was awarded a Cross of Gallantry from the South Vietnamese government, as well as an

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issu ...

with

oak leaf cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a spec ...

and

"V" device A "V" device is a metal Letter case, capital Letter (alphabet), letter "V" with serifs which, when worn on #Decorations eligible for the "V" device, certain decorations awarded by the United States Armed Forces, distinguishes a decoration award ...

and an

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establi ...

from the United States. In 1973, Hartley was appointed

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

of the Australian Army Intelligence Centre in

Woodside, South Australia Woodside is a town in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia. The town is between Balhannah, South Australia, Balhannah and Lobethal, South Australia, Lobethal, from the state capital, Adelaide city centre, Adelaide. Mount Barker is also ...

, and advanced to temporary

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

from 3 August. He was posted as Staff Officer (Grade 2) Operations and Intelligence to the 4th Military District in 1974, confirmed in the rank of major on 15 December 1975, and appointed a senior instructor at the School of Military Intelligence in

Canungra, Queensland Canungra is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Scenic Rim Region of South East Queensland, South East Queensland, Australia. In the , Canungra had a population of 1,436 people. Geography Located in South Eas ...

, from 1976. Hartley was posted on a two-year exchange with the

United States Army Pacific The United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) is an Army Service Component Command which serves as the Army service component for United States Indo-Pacific Command. It may also serve as a Joint Task Force headquarters. The command has forces in Alas ...

, based in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, from 1977. He returned to Australia with a second oak leaf cluster to his Army Commendation Medal and, on 15 January 1980, was made temporary lieutenant colonel and appointed to the directing staff of the

Army 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 ...

. His rank was made substantive from 14 July the same year. Hartley was appointed as Staff Officer (Grade 1) Operations at the headquarters 1st Division in 1981, made Deputy Director of Military Intelligence at Australian Army headquarters in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

in 1983 and, promoted

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

on 17 December 1984, was posted as Commander of the Albury–Wodonga Military Area and Commandant of the Army Apprentices' School. For his performance in the latter command, Hartley 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 ...

in the 1987 Birthday Honours. He completed the course at the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army staff college in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, with a Carlisle postal address, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instru ...

in 1987–88 and, with the rank of

brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

, was posted as Military Secretary at Australian Army headquarters from 1988. As a major general, Hartley was appointed

Training Command in 1991, advanced to an

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

Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning monarch's official birthday in each realm by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are ...

the following June, and succeeded Major General John Baker as Director of the

in 1992. After three years as head of Australia's military intelligence agency, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Army in 1995. In 1998, Hartley was awarded a Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and made Land Commander Australia; his final military appointment before he retired in 2000 after 38 years of military service.

Post-military life

Since retiring from the army, Hartley has been active in community and veterans' organisations and a contributor to research on defence and strategic issues. He has lectured on geo-strategic issues at the

and

Griffith University Griffith University is a public university, public research university in South East Queensland on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of Australia. The university was founded in 1971, but was not officially opened until 1975. Griffith ...

, has published on military and strategic matters in a range of newspapers and defence magazines, and was the commentator on SBS television and

ABC Radio National ABC Radio National, more commonly known as Radio National or simply RN, is an Australian nationwide public service radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. ...

for the initial phase of the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

in 2003. He was also appointed National President of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam Association in 2000, President of the National Rifle Association of Australia in 2006, and Chairman of the

Battle Honours A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military ...

Committee in 2007. He has been Institute Director and CEO of the strategic research institute Future Directions International since 2009, and is on the board of Soils for Life, an organisation that promotes regenerative landscape management practices. Hartley has two daughters, and lives in the

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

suburb of Nedlands, Western Australia.

Footnotes

Bibliography

* * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hartley, John (general) 1943 births Australian generals Australian military personnel of the Vietnam War Australian writers Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Living people Military strategists Officers of the Order of Australia People from Nambour, Queensland Australian recipients of the Gallantry Cross (Vietnam) Royal Military College, Duntroon graduates United States Army War College alumni University of Queensland alumni Military personnel from Cardiff Welsh emigrants to Australia