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GILMORE, Peter Warwick, AO, DSC

GILMORE, Major General Peter Warwick 'Gus', AO, DSC


Maj Gen Peter 'Gus' Gilmore, AO DSC

Maj Gen Peter 'Gus' Gilmore, AO DSC

Major General Peter Warwick 'Gus' Gilmore AO DSC is a distinguished military general whose service has included commanding coalition Special Forces in Afghanistan, Special Operations Commander Australia, Deputy Chief of Army, and Commander of Forces Command.

Born in Sydney on 31 January 1962, the son of Brigadier Ian George Charles Gilmore, OBE, OAM (retd) and Alison Shirley nee Cayley, he completed Year 12 at The Geelong College in 1978. He had previously attended Canberra Grammar School. From Geelong College he entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon in January 1979.

He then graduated from the British Royal Military College of Science, the Australian Army Command and Staff College, and the Australian Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies, and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales and a Master of Arts (International Relations) from Deakin University.

Graduating into the Royal Australian Infantry, he served initially in the 8th/9th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (8/9 RAR) before being selected to serve in the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) in 1988. He held a number of appointments in SASR, including Commanding Officer in 2001-02.

He was posted to Army Headquarters in Canberra, as Brigadier P W Gilmore DSC, Director General Future Land Warfare Army Headquarters.

His operational service includes commanding the Special Forces Task Group in Afghanistan in 2001-02, where he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross 'for distinguished command and leadership of the Australian Special Forces Task Group on active service in Afghanistan' and the US Army Bronze Star for service in Afghanistan.

In 2003-04 he was seconded for eighteen months to the Natural Security Division of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

He served as the Commanding General of the Joint Headquarters Transition Team, working in the Iraqi Armed Forces Headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2005-06, where he was awarded the US Legion of Merit (Degree of Officer).

In 2010, he commanded all coalition Special Forces in Afghanistan for 12 months. Returning to Australia on promotion to Major General, he served successively as the Special Operations Commander Australia, the Deputy Chief of Army, and the Commander of Forces Command. He was admitted as an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2013 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

In recognition of his achievement, Major General Peter Warwick 'Gus' Gilmore was inducted into the Old Geelong Collegians' Association (OGCA) Notables Gallery at Geelong College on 27 October 2018.


Sources: 'Geelong Collegians at the Second World War and Subsequent Conflicts' compiled by James Affleck p566-567 (citing The Pegasus; Australian War Memorial).
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