Bruce Ferguson (RNZAF officer)

Air Marshal Sir Bruce Reid Ferguson, KNZM, OBE, AFC (born 14 July 1949)[1] is a retired Royal New Zealand Air Force officer who served as Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force and Director of the Government Communications Security Bureau.[2][3] He took up the appointment when the previous director, Warren Tucker, was appointed as Director of the Security Intelligence Service on 1 November 2006. Ferguson's term of appointment was for four years, stepping down from the role in 2011.[3]

Sir Bruce Ferguson
Ferguson in 2009
Born	14 July 1949 Napier, New Zealand
Allegiance	New Zealand
Service/branch	Royal New Zealand Air Force
Years of service	1969–2006
Rank	Air Marshal
Commands held	Chief of Defence Force RNZAF Base Auckland RNZAF Operations Wing Central Flying School
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Officer of the Order of the British Empire Air Force Cross Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air
Other work	Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management Government Communications Security Bureau

Previous to this he was the acting director of the New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management,[3] after he retired earlier in 2006 from a distinguished military career which culminated in four years as the New Zealand Chief of Defence Force.[3][4]

Early life and family

Ferguson was born in Napier on 14 July 1949, the son of Phyllis and Arthur Ferguson, and educated at Tauranga Boys' College.[5] In 1974, he married Rosemary Rondel, and the couple went on to have three children.[5]

List of education and training qualifications

• 1970 – Graduated as RNZAF pilot[3]
• 1989 – Graduated USAF Air War College[1][3]
• 1995 – Graduated Royal College of Defence Studies[3]
• 2000 – Graduated Ashridge Senior Executive Management Course[3]
• 2001 – Senior Fellow, Asia Pacific Strategic Studies College[3]
• 2006 – Distinguished Fellow of the Institute for Strategic Leadership

List of career highlights and achievements

• 1969–73 – Pilot training/operational flying[3]
• 1973–82 – Flying instructor/Commander, Search and Rescue detachment/operational flying[3]
• 1982–84 – Commanding officer, Central Flying School[3]
• 1984–86 – Staff officer to Chief of the Air Staff[3]
• 1986–88 – Director, Air Force Personnel/USAF Air War College[3]
• 1989–91 – Officer Commanding, RNZAF Operations Wing[3]
• 1991–95 – Commander, RNZAF Base Auckland/Royal College of Defence Studies[3]
• 1995–97 – Chief of Air Force Personnel[3]
• 1997–2001 – Assistant Chief of Defence Force (Personnel)[3]
• 2001–2006 – Chief of Defence Force[3]
• 2006–2006 – Acting Director, Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM)[3]
• 2006–2011 – Director, Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB)[3]

List of honours and awards

Ferguson's investiture as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit by the governor-general, Sir Anand Satyanand, in 2009

• 1977 – Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air in the 1978 New Year Honours[6]
• 1984 – Air Force Cross in the 1984 Queen's Birthday Honours[7]
• 1990 – New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal[5]
• 1994 – Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours[8]
• 2006 – Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) (Distinguished Service Order) (Singapore)[3]
• 2006 – Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the New Zealand Defence Force, in the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours[3][9]
• 2009 – DCNZM redesignated as Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit[10][11]

References

1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 October 2006. Retrieved 10 January 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
3. , Prime Minister's Press Release – New Director of Government Communications Security Bureau.
4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 May 2006. Retrieved 10 January 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
5. Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 139. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
6. "No. 47420". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 31 December 1977. p. 45.
7. "No. 49769". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 16 June 1984. p. 5.
8. "No. 53697". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 11 June 1994. p. 36.
9. "Queen's Birthday honours list 2006". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 5 June 2006. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
10. Special Honours List (12 August 2009) 118 New Zealand Gazette 2691
11. Gibson, Nevil (1 August 2009). "Arise Sir... or Dame... for 70 on honours list". National Business Review. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2011.

External links

• Image – NZ Army Image Gallery