Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

Russell Edward Shalders, (born 28 September 1951) is a retired admiral of the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

(RAN). He served as Vice Chief of 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 ...

from 2002 to 2005, and as Chief of Navy from 2005 to 2008.

Early life

Shalders was born in

Ararat, Victoria Ararat () is a town in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands region in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, about west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway, Victoria, Western Highway on the eastern slopes of the Ararat Hills ...

, on 28 September 1951 to Kenneth George Shalders, a former army

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 ...

who had served with the 2/12th Battalion in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and Muriel Jean Shalders.

Naval career

Shalders entered the

Royal Australian Naval College HMAS Creswell is a training facility of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) that includes the Royal Australian Naval College (RANC) as well as the School of Survivability and Ship's Safety, Beecroft Weapons Range, and an administrative support depa ...

Jervis Bay Jervis Bay () is a oceanic bay and village in the Jervis Bay Territory and on the South Coast (New South Wales), South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. A area of land around the southern headland of the bay, known as the Jervis Bay Terri ...

as a 16-year-old

cadet midshipman Officer cadet is a military rank, 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' Train ...

in 1967. After sea training he undertook operations and weapons courses in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. On returning to Australia, he was posted as

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer ...

of the patrol boat , then joined , before he assumed command of the

Papua New Guinea Defence Force The Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Papua New Guinea. It originated from the Australian Army land forces of the territory of Papua New Guinea before independence, coming into bei ...

patrol boat ''Samarai''. Shalders then served as divisional officer at the RAN College in 1976, and then in prior to

principal warfare officer A principal warfare officer (PWO), is one of a number of warfare branch specialist officers. Australia In Australia, a PWO is a Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force ...

training in the UK in 1978. He returned as operations and

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations ar ...

(ASW) officer aboard HMAS ''Vendetta'', then was an officer's posting officer 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 ...

. After promotion to lieutenant commander in 1981, Shalders completed the Naval Staff Course for International Officers at the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

, and then undertook advanced warfare officer training in the UK, specialising in anti-submarine warfare. He joined as ASW officer and operations officer in 1982, but completed this posting as executive officer. In the rank of commander, Shalders served at the RAN Staff College as a member of the Directing Staff from mid-1984. After two years at the embassy in Washington, D.C. in 1986–87, he assumed command of and was then appointed as commander, Sea Training. Admiral Russ Shalders

On promotion to captain, Shalders was posted at short notice to command during the

Persian Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

, and was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in recognition of this period in command. In 1991, he became director of naval warfare and subsequently director, general naval policy and warfare. Shalders commanded HMAS ''Perth'' in 1993–94 and attended the

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 ...

in London in 1995. On promotion to

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

, Shalders was appointed as director general, joint exercise plans and then director general, operations policy and doctrine and director general, information strategic concepts. He returned to the fleet to become commodore of flotillas in January 1998, responsible for the operational efficiency of all fleet units. On promotion to

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

in July 1999, Shalders was seconded to the

Australian Customs Service The Australian Customs Service was an Australian Government agency responsible for Australian border protection, duties and taxes between 1985 and 2009. The Service was first under the portfolio of the Department of Industry, Technology and Com ...

as the inaugural Director General

Coastwatch The Australian Coastal Surveillance Organisation, also known as Coastwatch, was an operational division of the Australian Customs Service and the de facto Australian Coast guard, coast guard service. The former Coastwatch Division is now part o ...

. He was appointed as head, Defence Personnel Executive in 2001. Shalders was promoted to vice admiral and appointed as Vice Chief of the Defence Force in July 2002. 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 list of 2003. On 23 May 2005, the Minister for Defence announced that Shalders would succeed Vice Admiral Chris Ritchie as Chief of Navy from July 2005 for a three-year term. He retired from this position, and the navy, on 4 July 2008.

Personal

In his spare time, Shalders enjoys golf, jogging and gardening. Shalders' brother, Commodore Richard Shalders, was Commander Australian Navy Submarine Group (CANSG) until his retirement in July 2008.

References and notes

External links

Media release of appointment as Chief of NavyOfficial portraitcopyright
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shalders, Russ 1951 births Military personnel from Victoria (state) Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Australian military personnel of the Gulf War Australian military personnel of the Vietnam War Chiefs of Navy (Australia) Graduates of the Royal Australian Naval College Living people Naval War College alumni Officers of the Order of Australia People from Ararat, Victoria Recipients of the Conspicuous Service Cross (Australia) Recipients of the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera) Royal Australian Navy admirals Vice chiefs of the Defence Force (Australia)