Major General Michael Simon Hindmarsh (born 1956) is an Australian-Emirati Major General who is the current president of Zayed Military University (ZMU) in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. A retired senior 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 spent 33 years within the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...

, during which time he served as Commanding Officer of the Special Air Service Regiment from 1997 to 1998, Commander Special Operations Command Australia from 2004 to 2008, and Commander of Joint Task Force 633 in the

Middle East Area of Operations The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.United Nations Group o ...

from March 2008 to January 2009. He retired from the Australian Army in mid-2009, and joined the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces as a special advisor and later as commander from 2011 to 2024 of the

UAE Presidential Guard The UAE Presidential Guard (UAE-PG) () is an elite military special operations unit of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. It is a military unit that operates outside the conventional framework of traditional armed forces. Its estimated 12,000 ...

, which is a UAE Armed Forces formation that includes both conventional and

special forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

units. He also heads the UAE Armed Forces Modernization Program and is also the Chairman of the Board of Trustee for the Rabdan Academy.

Military career

Australia

Mike Hindmarsh entered 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 1976, graduating 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 ...

in 1978. 3512 STAFFCDT M.S.J. Hindmarsh. Hindmarsh saw regimental service as a Platoon Commander with the

2nd/4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 2nd/4th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (2/4 RAR) was an Australian Army infantry battalion. Throughout its existence 2/4 RAR was based at Lavarack Barracks in Townsville and formed part of the 3rd Task Force (3 TF) or as it is later kn ...

and as a Troop Commander, Squadron Commander and Commanding Officer with the

Special Air Service Regiment The Special Air Service Regiment, officially abbreviated SASR though commonly known as the SAS, is a special forces unit of the Australian Army. Formed in 1957 as a company, it was modelled on the British SAS with which it shares the motto, ...

(SASR). Other appointments included: SO3 Operations at HQ Land Command; SO2 Training at HQ UK Special Forces; SO1 Operations at HQ Special Forces; and Brigade level tactics instructor at the Land Warfare Centre. As Commanding Officer of the SASR, Hindmarsh commanded the ANZAC Special Operations Force detachment to Operation Pollard in

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

during 1998.Conspicuous Service Cross
14 June 1999, It's an honour.gov.au, Retrieved on 2009-09-09. Hindmarsh was later appointed to command the Special Operations Component on Operation Bastille and

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 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 ...

. 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 ...

for his distinguished leadership in this position.Member of the Order of Australia
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 27 November 2003, page 1 He served as the Commander of the Australian Special Operations Command from October 2004 to February 2008. He was appointed 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

Australia Day Honours The Australian honours and awards system refers to all orders, decorations, and medals, as instituted by letters patent from the Monarch of Australia and countersigned by the Australian prime minister at the time, that have been progressively ...

of 2008 for his distinguished service in that position.Officer of the Order of Australia
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 28 January 2008, page 3 – retrieved 2008-09-26. Hindmarsh assumed command of Australian Forces in the Middle East Area of Operations in an official ceremony on 1 March 2008; he succeeded Major General Mark Evans in this position. His tour ended on 12 January 2009, at which time he was succeeded by Major General

Mark Kelly Mark Edward Kelly (born February 21, 1964) is an American politician, retired astronaut, and former United States Navy, naval officer serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from Arizona, a seat he ha ...

. For his "distinguished command and leadership in action in the Middle East", Hindmarsh 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 ...

. From March 2009 until his retirement from the Australian Army in the later half of 2009, Hindmarsh assumed command of Army Training Command at Victoria Barracks, Sydney.Newsletter
, September 2009, Royal United Services Institute, Western Australian Branch. Retrieved on 2009-09-17.

United Arab Emirates

Following retirement from the Australian Army, Hindmarsh accepted in late 2009 the position of Special Advisor – National Security to the United Arab Emirates, and in 2011 Major General in charge of the United Arab Emirates Presidential Guard. He relinquished command of the Presidential Guard in 2024 and currently commands the Zayed Military University as well as leads the program for the modernization of the UAE Armed Forces. Hindmarsh was invited by

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (born 11 March 1961), also known as MbZ, is an Emirati royal and politician who is serving as the third and current president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi since 2022. Mohamed completed his edu ...

to help reorganize the Emirati military. On 8 February 2016 an ABC News report questioned the extent of Hindmarsh's knowledge of civilian deaths allegedly caused during the operation of UAE forces in Yemen, as a result of his ongoing employment as a security advisor to the government.

Personal

Hindmarsh was educated at the

Anglican Church Grammar School The Anglican Church Grammar School (ACGS), formerly the Church of England Grammar School and commonly referred to as Churchie, is an independent, Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican, Day school, day and boarding school for boys, located in ...

in Brisbane. He is a graduate of the

Army Command and Staff College, Queenscliff 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 ...

, the Joint Services Staff College and the United Kingdom

Royal College of Defence Studies The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest leve ...

. He is married and has 3 sons. He enjoys mountaineering, rock climbing, bush walking and rugby union.

Honours and awards

Hindmarsh is a patron of The Grub Club, the organisation set up in memory of Sergeant Matthew Locke. – includes bio

References

15. ^ Rabdan Academy Board of Trustees. https://ra.ac.ae/en/about-rabdan/board-of-trustees 16. ^ Trove website. StaffCdt. Page 52. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2587282891/view?sectionId=nla.obj-2631149106&partId=nla.obj-2588633282#page/n51/mode/1up

External links

*Photos
2004 (hires&smiling)2009

beretOp Slipper handoverFarewell to General PetreausOp Catalyst

Australian ''Defence'' Magazine Feature, November 2004 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hindmarsh, Mike 1956 births Military personnel from Queensland Living people Australian generals Australian military personnel of the Iraq War Australian military personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) United Arab Emirates Army officers Royal Military College, Duntroon graduates Officers of the Order of Australia Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies People educated at Anglican Church Grammar School