Vice Admiral Stuart Campbell Mayer, (born 1965) is a retired senior officer of the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

. He joined the navy via the Royal Australian Naval College at HMAS Creswell in 1984 and qualified as a

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 officer who has completed PWO training. The Australian PWO course is delivered at HMAS ''Wats ...

in 1994. He commanded (2002–04), (2007–09) and the

International Stabilisation Force 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 Mic ...

(2009–10), and deployed on operations to the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...

, East Timor, and the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

during the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...

. He served as

Commander Australian Fleet Fleet Command is responsible for the command, operations, readiness, training and force generation of all ships, submarines, aircraft squadrons, diving teams, and shore establishments of the Royal Australian Navy. Fleet Command is headquartered a ...

from 2014 to 2018, Head Force Design within the Vice Chief of Defence Force Group from 2018 to 2019, and Deputy Commander

United Nations Command United Nations Command (UNC or UN Command) is the multinational military force established to support the Republic of Korea (South Korea) during and after the Korean War. It was the first international unified command in history, and the first a ...

, based in South Korea, from 2019 to 2021. He retired from the navy in 2022 and was appointed a partner in

Ernst & Young Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational corporation, multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Delo ...

's consulting division.

Naval career

Early career

Mayer completed the Higher School Certificate in 1983 at

North Sydney Boys High School North Sydney Boys High School (abbreviated as NSBHS) is a government-funded, single-sex, academically selective secondary day school for boys, located at Crows Nest, on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. In 2022, Nor ...

. He joined the Royal Australian Naval College in 1984 as a seaman specialist, and on completion of initial training Mayer gained Bridge Watch-keeping Certificates on board and . Mayer completed training as an Air Intercept Controller and returned to sea in HMA ships and , including service aboard ''Sydney'' "as Air Intercept Control Officer and Boarding Officer during that ship's operational deployment to the

during the 1990–91

Gulf war The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

."Commodore Stuart Campbell Mayer, CSC, RAN – Combined Forces Maritime Component Commander
2012 In 1993 Mayer commenced training as a Principal Warfare Officer (Direction) and graduated with distinction in 1994. As Direction Officer, Mayer served aboard both and , undertaking a wide range of regional deployments and operations, including service as the Task Unit Operations Officer during Operation Stabilise – ADF operations in support of East Timorese independence. In January 2000 Mayer was promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain ...

and posted to the United States as the first ADF Liaison officer to US Joint Forces Command based in Norfolk, Virginia. Mayer returned from the United States in mid-2002 and assumed command of HMAS ''Canberra'', continuing an association with that ship that included service in every rank from trainee to commanding officer. Mayer left HMAS ''Canberra'' in July 2004 and was promoted to the rank of

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

and assumed the position of Chief Staff Officer (Operations) at Maritime Headquarters (MHQ) Australia in January 2005. While posted to MHQ, Mayer was seconded to the Australian Maritime Deployable HQ staff for duties as Commander Task Group 58.1 – Northern Arabian Gulf Maritime Security Operations Commander. Mayer 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 ...

for his "distinguished performance" in this role.Commendation for Distinguished Service
2006 Mayer returned to MHQ in October 2005, resuming duties as Chief Staff Officer (Operations). His "outstanding achievement" while with MHQ led to the award of a Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC) in 2008.Conspicuous Service Cross
2008

Senior commands

In January 2007 Mayer attended 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 Cen ...

and read for 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. ...

in Strategic Studies. He assumed command of the frigate in December 2007 and completed deployments to exercise RIMPAC and to Southeast Asia as the Commander of the RAN Task Group. Mayer left ''Anzac'' in mid-2009, was promoted to commodore and appointed Commander of the multi-national International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in East Timor on 24 October 2009. The first non-army officer to hold this command, Mayer demonstrated "inspirational leadership and initiative, and outstanding dedication to duty in stable but fragile security environment" during his six-month deployment, for which he was awarded a

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (un ...

to his CSC and the East Timorese

Medal of Merit Several countries award a military or civil medal called Medal of Merit: * Medal of Merit (Czech Republic) * Medal of Merit (Denmark) * Medal of Merit of the Dominican Woman * Medal of Merit of the National People's Army (East Germany) * Medal of M ...

. On Mayer's return to Australia in April 2010, he assumed duties as Commodore Flotillas at Fleet Headquarters. Promoted to

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often rega ...

, he was appointed

on 12 June 2014.Fleet Commander farewelled as new Admiral takes the weight
/ref> In recognition of his "selfless devotion to duty and outstanding achievement" in these senior roles, Mayer was made an

Officer 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 Go ...

in the

2017 Australia Day Honours The 2017 Australia Day Honours were announced on 26 January 2017 by the Governor General of Australia, Sir Peter Cosgrove.Jonathan Mead in January 2018 and was appointed as Head Force Design within the Vice Chief of Defence Force Group from March. In April 2019 it was announced that Mayer would be appointed Deputy Commander

in South Korea later in the year. He relinquished Head Force Design in June and, promoted vice admiral on 18 July, succeeded Lieutenant General

Wayne Eyre General Wayne Donald Eyre, (born 1966/1967) is a Canadian Forces officer serving as the chief of the Defence Staff (CDS). Eyre was named acting CDS on February 24, 2021, and appointed to the full position on November 25, 2021. He was also th ...

of the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases acr ...

as Deputy Commander on 28 July. He was the second non-American (after Eyre) and first Australian to hold the post in the 69-year history of United Nations Command. Mayer relinquished the post on 15 December 2021. For his work with United Nations Command, Mayer was awarded an Officer of the United States

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 ...

. Mayer is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, 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 yea ...

from the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensiv ...

, a

from

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia. Its main campuses are in Melbourne's Burwood suburb, Geelong Waurn P ...

, and a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accou ...

from the

University of Southern Queensland The University of Southern Queensland (branded as UniSQ and formerly branded as USQ) is a medium-sized, regional university based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, with three university campuses at Toowoomba, Springfield and Ipswich. It of ...

Post-military career

Following his retirement from the RAN in 2022, Mayer was appointed a partner in the consulting division at

Australia.

Personal life

Mayer is married to Susanne, with whom he has four children. Mayer's interests include rugby, sailing, bushwalking and kayaking.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayer, Stuart Australian military personnel of the Gulf War Australian military personnel of the International Force for East Timor Australian military personnel of the Iraq War Australian recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States) Deakin University alumni Living people Officers of the Legion of Merit Officers of the Order of Australia People educated at North Sydney Boys High School Recipients of the Commendation for Distinguished Service Recipients of the Conspicuous Service Cross (Australia) Recipients of the Meritorious Unit Citation Royal Australian Navy admirals University of New South Wales alumni University of Southern Queensland alumni Year of birth missing (living people)