Duncan Lewis

Duncan Lewis
Major General; Duncan Lewis; AO, DSC, CSC
13th Director-General of Security
	In office; 15 September 2014 – 15 September 2019
Prime Minister	Tony Abbott; Malcolm Turnbull; Scott Morrison
Preceded by	David Irvine
Succeeded by	Mike Burgess
Australian Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, European Union and NATO
	In office; 18 October 2012 – 2014
Preceded by	Dr Brendan Nelson
Succeeded by	Mark Higgie
18th Secretary of the Department of Defence
	In office; 5 September 2011 – 18 October 2012
Preceded by	Dr Ian Watt
Succeeded by	Dennis Richardson
1st National Security Adviser
	In office; 2008–2011
Preceded by	New Creation
Succeeded by	Dr Margot McCarthy
Personal details
Born	3 August 1953
Profession	Military
Military service
Allegiance	Australia
Branch/service	Australian Army
Years of service	1975–2005
Rank	Major General
Commands	Special Operations Command (2002–04); Sector West UNTAET (2000); Special Air Service Regiment (1990–91)
Battles/wars	1982 Lebanon War; International Force for East Timor; United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
Awards	Officer of the Order of Australia; Distinguished Service Cross; Conspicuous Service Cross

Major General Duncan Edward Lewis AO, DSC, CSC (born 3 August 1953) is an Australian military officer, diplomat and intelligence chief. From 2014 to 2019, he was the Director-General of Security of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). Prior to that appointment, he held the post of Australian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He is a retired Australian Army officer, and formerly Special Operations Commander Australia (2002–2004), National Security Adviser, and Secretary of the Department of Defence.

Military career

Duncan Lewis graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1975. Following graduation, he was assigned to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New South Wales and a Graduate Diploma in Defence Studies and Management from Deakin University. He attended the British Army Staff College, Camberley and the US Army War College.[1]

Lewis in 2001.

During his military career, Lewis served three postings with the Special Air Service Regiment, later commanding the Regiment from 1990 to 1991. For this service, Lewis was decorated with the Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC).[2]

From 1994 to 1996, Lewis was Australian Army Attache in Jakarta, and during the INTERFET period he was appointed the Australian Defence Force (ADF) spokesman on East Timor.

Lewis was promoted to brigadier in January 2000 and appointed Commander Sector West UNTAET in East Timor, where he commanded Australian and New Zealand forces. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for his accomplishments with the unit.[3]

Lewis assumed his appointment as Commander Special Forces in January 2001, and was promoted to the rank of major general on 19 December 2002. In the Australia Day Honours of 2005, Lewis was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia.[4]

Post-military career

Subsequent to his retirement from the army in 2005, Lewis joined the Australian Public Service and was appointed to the position of First Assistant Secretary of the National Security Division in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. In December 2008 he began serving as National Security Adviser to the Rudd Labor Government.[1] On 5 August 2011 it was announced that he would be appointed the Secretary of the Australian Department of Defence, (SECDEF), effective early September.[5] Lewis was the first former military officer to be appointed to this position.[6]

Diplomatic career

On 17 September 2012 it was announced that Lewis had been appointed Australia's ambassador to Belgium, the European Union, Luxembourg and NATO, and would leave the Department of Defence on 10 October.[7] While newspaper reports suggested that Lewis was unhappy with the government's cuts to defence spending,[8] he stated that "notwithstanding media reporting, I have not been forced out of my current position and I am not departing defence for any reason other than to take up this ambassadorial posting at the request of the prime minister".[9]

Director-General of Security

On 15 May 2014, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Attorney-General George Brandis issued a joint media release announcing that Lewis was to stand down as Ambassador to Belgium, the EU, Luxembourg and NATO, and would be appointed as Director-General of Security (the head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Australia's domestic intelligence agency) following the retirement of David Irvine in September 2014.[10] Lewis retired on 15 September 2019, and was replaced by Mike Burgess, the former director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate.

Honours and awards

	Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)	26 January 2005
	Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)	11 June 2001
	Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC)	14 June 1993
	Australian Active Service Medal
	Australian Service Medal
	Defence Force Service Medal with four rosettes	for 35–39 years of service
	Australian Defence Medal
	United Nations Medal with UNTSO ribbon	For United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation
	United Nations Medal with UNTAET ribbon	For United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor

References

Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (2008) Appointment of National Security Adviser Archived 14 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
It's an Honour – Conspicuous Service Cross, 14 June 1993
It's an Honour – Distinguished Service Cross, 11 June 2001
It's an Honour – Officer of the Order of Australia, 26 January 2005. Citation: For distinguished service and performance of duty as Commander Special Forces and subsequently as the inaugural Special Operations Commander Australia.
Clarissa Thorpe and Penny McLintock (5 August 2011). "PS shake-up as Moran retires". ABC News. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
Ellery, David (6 August 2011). "Watt takes Defence's secrets into the top job". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
"Diplomatic Appointment and Appointment of Secretaries of the Department of Defence and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade". Media release. Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
Cullen, Simon (17 September 2012). "Defence head given ambassador role". ABC News. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
Gartrell, Adam (17 September 2012). "Defence boss denies cuts led him to quit". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
Bishop, Julie. "Appointment of new Director-General of Security and nomination of new Australian Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, the European Union and NATO". foreignminister.gov.au. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Archived from the original on 17 March 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2014.

External links

Military offices
New title	Special Operations Commander 2002–2004	Succeeded by Major General Mike Hindmarsh
Government offices
Preceded by David Irvine	Director-General of Security 2014–2019	Succeeded by Mike Burgess
Preceded by Dr Ian Watt	Secretary of the Department of Defence 2011–2012	Succeeded by Dennis Richardson
New title	National Security Adviser 2008–2011	Succeeded by Dr Margot McCarthy
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Dr Brendan Nelson	Australian Ambassador to Belgium 2012–2014	Succeeded by Mark Higgie

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[PMC-1] Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (2008) Appointment of National Security Adviser Archived 14 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 7 January 2009.

[CSC-2] It's an Honour – Conspicuous Service Cross, 14 June 1993

[DSC-3] It's an Honour – Distinguished Service Cross, 11 June 2001

[AO-4] It's an Honour – Officer of the Order of Australia, 26 January 2005. Citation: For distinguished service and performance of duty as Commander Special Forces and subsequently as the inaugural Special Operations Commander Australia.

[5] Clarissa Thorpe and Penny McLintock (5 August 2011). "PS shake-up as Moran retires". ABC News. Retrieved 7 August 2011.

[6] Ellery, David (6 August 2011). "Watt takes Defence's secrets into the top job". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 7 August 2011.

[7] "Diplomatic Appointment and Appointment of Secretaries of the Department of Defence and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade". Media release. Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.

[8] Cullen, Simon (17 September 2012). "Defence head given ambassador role". ABC News. Retrieved 17 September 2012.

[9] Gartrell, Adam (17 September 2012). "Defence boss denies cuts led him to quit". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 September 2012.

[dfat-10] Bishop, Julie. "Appointment of new Director-General of Security and nomination of new Australian Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, the European Union and NATO". foreignminister.gov.au. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Archived from the original on 17 March 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2014.