Ken gillespie biography

Australian general

Lieutenant GeneralKenneth James GillespieAC, DSC, CSM (born 28 June 1952) is a retired senior officer in the Australian Army.

Gillespie served as Vice Chief of the Defence Force from 2005 until 2008, then Chief of Army from 2008 until his retirement in June 2011.

Military career

Gillespie was educated at Inala State High School in Brisbane and enlisted in the Australian Army in 1968 as an apprentice bricklayer.^[1] He graduated from the Officer Cadet School, Portsea, in 1972, gaining a commission in the corps of the Royal Australian Engineers.^[1]

Gillespie held a range of regimental and staff appointments including Instructor at the School of Military Engineering and at the 1st Recruit Training Battalion.^[1] He then held regimental appointments as a junior officer in 2nd Field Engineer Regiment, 5th Field Engineer Regiment, 2nd/3rd Field Engineer Regiment and 1st Construction Regiment, af