Peter Cosgrove
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Peter John Cosgrove | |
|---|---|
| 28 July 1947 - | |
| Nickname | Cos |
| Place of birth | Sydney, Australia |
| Allegiance | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Australia |
| Service/branch | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1965-2005 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Australian Defence Force Australian Army INTERFET Joint Deployable Force Land Command 1st Infantry Division School of Infantry |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Companion Of The Order Of Australia Military Cross Companion in the New Zealand Order of Merit Commander of the United States Legion of Merit. |
| Other work | Leader of the Cyclone Larry Task Force |
General Peter John Cosgrove AC, MC (born 28 July 1947) is an Australian general. He was the Chief of the Australian Defence Force from 3 July 2002 to July 2005, when he retired from active service.
Contents |
[edit] Military service
Cosgrove was educated at Waverley College, then followed his father, a Warrant Officer, into the Australian Army by attending the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1965. Early in his career, Cosgrove fought in Vietnam with the 9th Battalion of The Royal Australian Regiment, where he served with great distinction, receiving the Military Cross.
Cosgrove came to national fame in 1999 when, as a Major General, he led the international forces (INTERFET) in a peacekeeping mission to East Timor. The mission's success made Cosgrove one of Australia's most respected and popular military leaders.
Cosgrove was later promoted to Lieutenant General as Chief of the Army (CA) and General as Chief of the Defence Force (CDF).
In 2004, following a joint interview with Defence Minister Robert Hill, General Cosgrove was accused of playing politics after senior government figures, such as Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, queried the Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty's patriotism.[1] Cosgrove later apologised to Keelty and agreed with him that the Iraq war has boosted global terrorism.[2]
On 4 July 2005, Air Marshal Angus Houston (now Air Chief Marshal Houston), the then-Chief of Air Force (CAF), replaced General Cosgrove as Chief of the Defence Force (CDF).
There was some speculation that after retirement he would take up the post of Governor-General of Australia, or run for parliament. He has firmly ruled out all such possibilities.[3] Instead he wrote an autobiography, My Story (HarperCollins Publishers Australia, October 2006, ISBN 0732283841), which was a bestseller in Australia.
[edit] Cyclone Larry Taskforce
On 23 March 2006, retired General Peter Cosgrove was selected to lead the Queensland Government taskforce of rebuilding communities damaged by Cyclone Larry, a Category 5 tropical cyclone that devastated the Innisfail region of northern Queensland.[4]
[edit] Awards
- Military Cross (MC) for gallantry in Vietnam.
- Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), Australia's highest honour, for services in East Timor.
- Australian of the Year 2001.
[edit] Foreign awards
- Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM).
- Commander of the United States Legion of Merit.
- Tong-il Medal from the Republic of Korea.
- Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) - Singaporean Distinguished Service Order (Military) (2004)
Image:Order of Australia (Military) ribbon.png Image:Military Cross ribbon.png
Image:Australian Active Service Medal 1945-75 ribbon.png Image:VietnamMedalRibbon.jpg Image:Australian Active Service Medal ribbon.png Image:INTERFET Medal ribbon.png
Image:Australian Service Medal 1945-1975 ribbon.png Image:Centenary Medal (Australia) ribbon.png Image:Defence Force Service Medal (Australia) ribbon.png Image:National Medal (Australia) ribbon.pngImage:Australian Defence Medal (Australia) ribbon.png
Image:Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon.png Image:New Zealand Order of Merit ribbon.png Image:Us legion of merit chief commander rib.png Image:Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) ribbon.png
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Admiral Chris Barrie AC, RAN | Chief of Defence Force 2002–2005 | Succeeded by Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston AO, AFC |
| Preceded by Lieutenant General Frank Hickling AO, CSC | Chief of the Army 2000-2002 | Succeeded by Lieutenant General Peter Leahy AC |
| Preceded by Sir Gustav Nossal | Australian of the Year 2001 | Succeeded by Patrick Rafter |
