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 ...

Steven Lyndon Smith (born 3 July 1959) is a senior officer in the

Australian Army Reserve The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen ...

. His career includes command at Battalion, Brigade and Divisional levels.Official biography
, www.army.gov.au

Military career

Smith joined the

as a soldier in 1976 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 ...

in 1979. He has served with the 40th Independent Rifle Company, The Royal Tasmania Regiment, the 4th Battalion, The Royal New South Wales Regiment and has held a range of other senior staff and training appointments. He was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in 2001 for "outstanding achievement" as the Commanding Officer of the 12th/40th Battalion, The Royal Tasmania Regiment. In 2006 Smith was promoted to 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, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

and appointed the assistant commander of the 1st Division and Deployable Joint Force Headquarters. He subsequently deployed to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

, serving as the commanding general of the Joint Headquarters Transition Team (JHQ-TT) within the US led Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq. For his service as the assistant commander of the 1st Division, commander of the 9th Brigade and commanding general of the JHQ-TT, Smith was appointed as 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 ...

in 2010.It's an Honour
– Member of the Order of Australia (AM), 14 June 2010, Citation: ''For exceptional service as the Commander Joint Headquarters Transition Team Iraq, Assistant Commander of the 1st Division and Commander 9th Brigade.''
(2010 Queen's Birthday Honours), 18 September 2010, The Mercury (Hobart), www.themercury.com.au Smith was 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 ...

in 2012 and appointed as the commander of the Australian Army's 2nd Division, which consists of the majority of the Australian Army Reserve. He concluded this appointment on 31 December 2014 and retired from the Australian Army in 2020.Soldiers farewelled before shipping out to Timor
20 January 2012, Geelong Advertiser, www.geelongadvertiser.com.auReservists welcomed home from Timor-Leste
www.army.gov.au

Education and civil career

Smith is a graduate of the Australian Command and Staff College – Reserve, and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College (University of Tasmania), Christ College, one of the unive ...

and a Graduate Certificate in Emergency Management from the Australian Emergency Management Institute. Smith previously worked for the Tasmanian Government as a career public servant specialising in emergency management. Following his retirement, he continues as an emergency management consultant, is the chairman of the board of directors of St John Ambulance Tasmania and is the colonel commandant of The Royal Tasmania Regiment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Steve 1959 births Australian generals Military personnel from Tasmania Australian military personnel of the Iraq War Living people Members of the Order of Australia Officers of the Legion of Merit Commanders of the Order of St John People from Hobart Recipients of the Conspicuous Service Cross (Australia)