1. Duncan Lewis is a retired Australian Army officer, and formerly Special Operations Commander Australia, National Security Adviser, and Secretary of the Department of Defence.
13 Facts About Duncan Lewis
1. 2.
Duncan Lewis graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1975.
3.
Duncan Lewis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New South Wales and a Graduate Diploma in Defence Studies and Management from Deakin University.
4.
Duncan Lewis attended the British Army Staff College, Camberley and the US Army War College.
5.
From 1994 to 1996, Duncan Lewis was Australian Army Attache in Jakarta, and during the INTERFET period he was appointed the Australian Defence Force spokesman on East Timor.
6.
Duncan Lewis was promoted to brigadier in January 2000 and appointed Commander Sector West UNTAET in East Timor, where he commanded Australian and New Zealand forces.
7.
Duncan Lewis was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his accomplishments with the unit.
8.
Duncan Lewis assumed his appointment as Commander Special Forces in January 2001, and was promoted to the rank of major general on 19 December 2002.
9.
Subsequent to his retirement from the army in 2005, Duncan Lewis joined the Australian Public Service and was appointed to the position of First Assistant Secretary of the National Security Division in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
10.
Duncan Lewis was the first former military officer to be appointed to this position.
11.
On 17 September 2012, it was announced that Duncan Lewis had been appointed Australia's ambassador to Belgium, the European Union, Luxembourg and NATO, and would leave the Department of Defence on 10 October.
12.
On 15 May 2014, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Attorney-General George Brandis issued a joint media release announcing that Duncan Lewis was to stand down as Ambassador to Belgium, the EU, Luxembourg and NATO, and would be appointed as Director-General of Security following the retirement of David Irvine in September 2014.
13.
Duncan Lewis retired on 15 September 2019, and was replaced by Mike Burgess, the former director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate.