Peter Cosgrove
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General Peter John Cosgrove, AC, MC, CNZM (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. He was a well loved character by the Australian Public and was certainly larger than life.
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[edit] Military service
Cosgrove has served in the Australian Army since attending the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1965. Early in his career, Cosgrove fought in Vietnam with the 9th Battalion, 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 Chief of the Army (CA) and Chief of the Defence Force (CDF).
It has also contributed to speculation that he will take up the post of Governor-General of Australia after he retires. However, he has shown no interest in such a post; and, he pointedly stated in his announcement that he would not renew his contract past 3 July 2005, that he was not going to enter politics.
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).
[edit] The Iraq War & the spread of global terrorism
General Cosgrove was accused of playing politics after senior government figures, such as Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, queried the Federal Police Commissioner's patriotism.
Peter Cosgrove has apologised to Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty and now admits that the Iraq war has boosted global terrorism.
[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.[1]
[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.
| Military Offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Chris Barrie | Chief of Defence Force 2002–2005 | Succeeded by: Angus Houston |
| Preceded by: Frank Hickling | Chief of the Army 2000-2002 | Succeeded by: Peter Leahy |
| Preceded by: Sir Gustav Nossal | Australian of the Year 2001 | Succeeded by: Patrick Rafter |
[edit] References
| The Bulletin: The Last Post? By Paul Davey
