Peter LEAHY

Peter Leahy retired from the Army in July 2008 after a 37 year career as a soldier. As an infantry officer the focus of his career was with soldiers in command, training and staff appointments. He was fortunate enough to command at almost every level in the Army and to serve on exchange in Hong Kong with the Gurkhas and in the United States at the Army’s Command and General Staff College.

Peter concluded his career in the Army with the rank of Lieutenant General in the appointment of the Chief of Army. He served in this appointment for 6 years, which was the longest period of service as Chief since General Harry Chauvel in the 1920s. His period of command was marked by the continuous global deployment of Australian soldiers on high tempo, complex and demanding combat operations. During his tenure as Chief of Army he was responsible for the rapid expansion and development of the Army to enable it to cope with the many changing demands of modern conflict. His focus was to enlarge the Army and provide a hardened and networked force with increased adaptability and flexibility.

Since leaving the Army Peter has joined the University of Canberra as a Professor and the foundation Director of the National Security Institute. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has been appointed to the Boards of Codan Limited and Electro Optic Systems Holdings Limited. He is a member of the Defence South Australia Advisory Board, a Director of the ACT Branch of the Australian Industry Defence Network and is a Director of the Kokoda Foundation.