Major General Stuart Lyle Smith, (born 1 November 1963) is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army. He commanded the 1st Division from October 2012 until November 2015, when he was appointed

Deputy Chief of Joint Operations The Chief of Joint Operations (CJOPS) is a three-star role within the Australian Defence Force (ADF), responsible for the Joint Operations Command and joint operational deployments, such as United Nations peacekeeping and joint task groups. Un ...

Early life

Smith was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, New South Wales, on 1 November 1963 and educated at St Paul's College in Adelaide. His father, Bernard Lyle Smith, was a soldier in the Australian Army. In March 1969, Bernard, then an infantry

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

in the

5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (5 RAR) is 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 to form th ...

, was killed by a mine detonation during his second tour of Vietnam.

Military career

Smith graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in 1984. He was appointed Commanding Officer of 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 ...

, in December 2001 and led the battalion on peacekeeping duties in Timor Leste in 2003. For his "exceptional service" on this deployment, Smith was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2005. He commanded the 3rd Brigade in Townsville during the period 2009 to 2011 and coordinated the Australian Defence Force Disaster Response to

Tropical Cyclone Yasi Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi () was a powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that made landfall in northern Queensland, Australia in early 2011, causing major damage to the affected areas. Originating as a tropical low near Fiji on 26 Janu ...

North Queensland North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its tropical northern part has been ...

in February 2011. In 2012 Smith was appointed Commander

Joint Task Force 633 A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

, responsible for Operation Slipper and Australian forces operating in the Middle East. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 2013 in recognition of his "distinguished command and leadership in warlike operations" while in this command. Following his return from the Middle East, Smith assumed command of the 1st Division in October 2012. He led the division for three years and was advanced to

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 Gove ...

, before handing over command to Major General Paul McLachlan in November 2015. Smith was subsequently appointed

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Stuart 1963 births Australian generals Australian military personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Living people Officers of the Order of Australia Military personnel from Sydney Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)