Four decades of dedication to Army

Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) Kim Johansen has trained and mentored young soldiers and officers, in Australia and overseas, for more than 40 years.

CAPTION: Warrant Officer Class Two Kim Johansen stands alongside his wife, Michelle, after being presented the Federation Star clasp to his Defence Long Service Medal for 40 years of service, at Gallipoli Barracks, Queensland. Story by Captain Nigel Jacobs. Photo by Lance Corporal Luke Donegan.

He was presented with the Federation Star for 40 years of service in the Army by Commander 1st (Australian) Division Major General Ash Collingburn at Gallipoli Barracks in February.

WO2 Johansen was born in New Zealand and moved to Australia when he was 12. While living in Woolgoolga, on the north coast of NSW, his best friend’s father steered him towards a life in the military.

“My best mate’s dad was a Vietnam veteran and he’d served in 108 Battery. He was actually a huge influence on me joining Army and choosing to go to artillery,” WO2 Johansen said.

Signing up shortly after his 18th birthday in 1984, WO2 Johansen completed his basic training at Kapooka, before heading to the School of Artillery at North Head, Manly.

“It was a great place to train,” WO2 Johansen said, reflecting on the location that would host many of his promotion courses.

CAPTION: Warrant Officer Class Two Kim Johansen during recruit training at Kapooka, NSW, in 1984.

Early in his career he was posted to 1 Field Regiment and 4 Field Regiment, and spent a year as an instructor at the Land Warfare Centre in Canungra.

In 2005, WO2 Johansen discharged, but he continued to serve in the Army Reserves, predominantly on full-time service contracts.

His first overseas deployment was on Operation Astute in East Timor from February to October 2010, where he served as the Company Sergeant Major.

“I was in charge of the headquarters with a range of responsibilities, from maintenance and fire safety to duty rostering and room allocation,” WO2 Johansen said.

“A highlight of the deployment was participating in the inaugural Dili City of Peace Marathon, which was held in Dili in 2010.”

In 2012-13, he deployed on Operation Slipper in Kabul, Afghanistan, as a team leader with the artillery mobile training team.

WO2 Johansen’s primary role during the deployment involved training Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers on how to use artillery to provide direct support to combat troops.

“I was part of a team who trained the ANA artillery units – specifically, I was training the signallers and OPCPs [operator command post),” he said.

“If the soldiers in the field are calling for fire support ahead of their position, the OPCPs need to calculate the direction, angle and amount of charge needed to fire the artillery rounds. If they calculate the data incorrectly, the rounds could land on their own troops instead of landing on the enemy.”

WO2 Johansen remarked on how far technology had progressed.

“The changes I’ve seen between 1984 and 2025 are massive, especially in my corps,” he said.

“In artillery, we’ve gone from an M2A2 [a general purpose, towed, light field artillery weapon used in Vietnam] to an M777 [155mm lightweight towed howitzer], and we’re about to get the AS9 Huntsman – an eight-metre-long gun that sits on a platform and drives itself.”

His advice to young people considering a career in Defence is to be adaptable.

“Whatever corps you’re in, you need to keep up with the technological advances that are happening all the time,” WO2 Johansen said.

He also emphasised the role non-commissioned officers play in nurturing future leaders, quoting a piece of wisdom from his early days as a bombardier: “Make sure that you teach and nurture the lieutenants, because in the future they could come back as your boss.”

WO2 Johansen continues to serve because he feels he still has something valuable to offer Army.

“I like the job, and I feel that, with my expertise and experience, I can still contribute to the unit’s productivity and capability.”

CAPTION: Commander 1st (Australian) Division Major General Ash Collingburn, left, presents Warrant Officer Class Two Kim Johansen with the Federation Star clasp to his Defence Long Service Medal for 40 years of service. Photo by Lance Corporal Luke Donegan.

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