Deputy Commanding General Operations

Official Photo of Major General Chris Field  

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MAJOR GENERAL CHRIS FIELD

Deputy Commanding General, Operations, U.S. Army Central

 

Chris Field was appointed Deputy Commanding General, Operations, United States Army Central in March 2020. His previous service includes: Commander, Australian Army Forces Command; Vice Director of Operations, United States Central Command; Commander 3rd Brigade; Chief of Staff, Forces Command; Head of Corps, Royal Australian Infantry; Regimental Colonel, The Royal Australian Regiment and, Deputy Commanding General, 82nd Airborne Division, Regional Command - South, Afghanistan.


As Commander Forces Command, his team mobilised and deployed approximately 6,000 people, from September 2019 through February 2020, in three multi-national Joint Task Forces, on Operation Bushfire Assist 19-20, in 50% of Australia throughout the New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.


As Commander 3rd Brigade, he was appointed Queensland State Recovery Coordinator following Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie. In this role, he established Joint Task Force 661 and served 60-days designing, developing, gaining approval and implementing Operation Queensland Recovery, supporting one-third of the State, 1.2 million people and $3 billion in lost economic activity.


As a Colonel he served as Chief of Operations & Plans, Queensland Reconstruction Authority and Director Future Land Warfare & Strategy, Army Headquarters. A 2010 Fellow of the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies, he was awarded the Geddes Gavel for consistency and the Richard Leaver Award for eruditeness.


Earlier service with 2nd/4th Battalion, 2nd Battalion and 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment provided him command experience, from platoon to battle group. As Operations Officer 2nd Battalion, he served in East Timor. As Commanding Officer 1st Battalion, he led Joint Task Force 635, Solomon Islands. He served as J3 Operations, 1st Division & Deployable Joint Force Headquarters in Brisbane and in J5 Plans, US Army Central in Atlanta, Kuwait and Iraq. In addition, he served as an Army Reserve Adjutant, Royal Military College (RMC) Duntroon Instructor, Aide to the Chief of Reserves, and United Nations Military Observer in Lebanon & Syria.


He is a distinguished graduate of the USMC Command and Staff College and a graduate of the US Army Land Component Commander Course, Australian Commander Joint Task Force Course, Australian Institute of Company Directors, USMC School of Advanced Warfighting, RMC Duntroon, and Australian Defence Force Academy.


He holds qualifications from Deakin University, University of Southern Queensland, Marine Corps University, and University of New South Wales. He is Patron and past-President of the Australian Services Rugby Referees Association and, a Trustee of the ANZAC Memorial Building, Hyde Park, Sydney.


Chris, his wife Sarah, a policy and communications professional, and their son live in Sydney.