First female Deputy Chief of Army
The Australian Defence Force has nominated the first female to be appointed to the second-highest position in the Army.
CAPTION: Major General Natasha Fox. Photo by Megan Popelier.
Major General Natasha Fox will be appointed Deputy Chief of Army in January next year, replacing the incumbent Major General Anthony Rawlins.
Minister for Defence Personnel Darren Chester congratulated Major General Fox, acknowledged her professionalism and thanked her for her contribution to the community.
“I sincerely thank Major General Fox for her accomplishments and contribution to the nation, and to our current and former serving personnel,” Mr Chester said.
“I have had the pleasure of working closely with Major General Fox over the years.
“She has been integral in reforming the transition system and uniting Defence and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to provide the best service to transitioning members to civilian life.
“As the first female deputy service chief, Major General Fox is leading the way for other women in the ADF.
“I offer my congratulations and best wishes to Natasha for the role.”
Major General Fox joined the ADF in 1988, graduating from the Royal Military College in 1991.
Her early career consisted of logistics, specialising in combat supplies and logistics planning, and in training positions, culminating with her role as the Commanding Officer/Chief Instructor at the Australian Defence Force Academy for which she received a Conspicuous Service Cross.
She has been appointed to various roles across the ADF in Forces Command, Joint Logistics Command, Special Operations Command, Training Command – Army, and Defence People Group.
She has deployed to Lebanon, Syria and Israel and was the Chief of Staff for Joint Task Force 633 in the Middle East, for which she was appointed a member of the Order of Australia (AM).
Major General Fox is a graduate of the Australian Command and Staff College, and the Defence
and Strategic Studies Course, and has completed numerous degrees, including Masters of
Business Administration, Master of Politics and Policy, and Masters of Management in
Defence Studies.
“Currently, Major General Fox is the Head of People Capability, ADF, playing a key role in shaping the Defence workforce structure, recruiting the best talent for our Defence Force, managing members’ transition to civilian life and caring for ADF families,” Mr Chester said.
“I look forward to working with her in her new role.
“I also take the opportunity to thank the current Deputy Chief of Army Major General Anthony Rawlins and send my best wishes as he takes on the position of Head Force Design of the Australian Defence Force Headquarters in the first half of 2022.”
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Just what we need… another uni student… head of defence transition, well that’s gone well for a lot of people hasn’t it.
We have just gone from bad to worse all because of the govt female quota system. And here I was thinking that we were on the right track to regaining our total focus on war fighting role. Now we are on track for ???
Dave, you have hit it on the head. We are on track to NOWHERE, thank god I am retired & SHE CAN NOT HARM ME OR MY family by her lack of knowledge. ( WAR FRONT LINE ).
Male are best are they?……..remember Morrison? There was a unit (sic). Wish her the best Maybe is just what the Army needs, fresh eyes. I’ve heard shes quite a commander.
I am curious to know , if WW3 for Australia starts in the South China Sea. What plans does the Army have for expanding the number of troops on the ground. With respect to the promotion of women within the army , that is neither here nor there to me . I am a male and I was medically discharged
In various conversations that I have had with people numbers range from: 50 000 – 350 000.
The Indian Armed Forces have had a few women in LTGEN (equiv) rank over the years, Australia lacks greatly!