Mike Hindmarsh

Major General Michael Simon Hindmarsh AO, DSC, CSC (born 1956) is an Australian military officer, who holds a senior position within the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, commanding its elite force known as the Presidential Guard. A retired senior officer of the Australian Army, he spent over 30 years with the Australian Defence Force, during which time he served as Special Operations Commander Australia from 2004 to 2008, and as Commander of Joint Task Force 633 in the Middle East Area of Operations from March 2008 to January 2009. He retired from the Australian Army in mid-2009, and joined the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces as a special advisor and later, a commander of the UAE Presidential Guard, which is a UAE Armed Forces formation that includes both conventional and special forces units.

Michael Simon Hindmarsh
Born1956
Kilcoy, Queensland, Australia
AllegianceAustralia
United Arab Emirates
Service/branchAustralian Army
United Arab Emirates Presidential Guard
Years of service1976–2009
2010–present
RankMajor General
Commands heldUAE Presidential Guard
Training Command - Army
Joint Task Force 633
Special Operations Command
Special Air Service Regiment
Battles/warsOperation Pollard
Iraq War

War in Afghanistan

AwardsOfficer of the Order of Australia
Distinguished Service Cross
Conspicuous Service Cross

Military career

Australia

Mike Hindmarsh entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1976, graduating into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps in 1978.[1][2]

Hindmarsh saw regimental service as a Platoon Commander with the 2nd/4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and as a Troop Commander, Squadron Commander and Commanding Officer with the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR). Other appointments included: SO3 Operations at HQ Land Command; SO2 Training at HQ UK Special Forces; SO1 Operations at HQ Special Forces; and Brigade level tactics instructor at the Land Warfare Centre.[3]

As Commanding Officer of the SASR, Hindmarsh commanded the ANZAC Special Operations Force detachment to Operation Pollard in Kuwait during 1998.[4] Hindmarsh was later appointed to command the Special Operations Component on Operation Bastille and Operation Falconer in the Iraq War. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his distinguished leadership in this position.[5]

He served as the Commander of the Australian Special Operations Command from October 2004 to February 2008. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours of 2008 for his distinguished service in that position.[6]

Hindmarsh assumed command of Australian Forces in the Middle East Area of Operations in an official ceremony on 1 March 2008; he succeeded Major General Mark Evans in this position. His tour ended on 12 January 2009, at which time he was succeeded by Major General Mark Kelly. For his "distinguished command and leadership in action in the Middle East", Hindmarsh was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.[7]

From March 2009 until his retirement from the Australian Army in the later half of 2009, Hindmarsh assumed command of Army Training Command at Victoria Barracks, Sydney.[3]

United Arab Emirates

Following retirement from the Australian Army, Hindmarsh accepted the positions of Special Advisor – National Security to the United Arab Emirates, and major general in charge of the United Arab Emirates Presidential Guard.[8][9] Hindmarsh was invited by Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to help reorganize the Emirati military.[10]

On 8 February 2016 an ABC News report questioned the extent of Hindmarsh's knowledge of civilian deaths allegedly caused during the operation of UAE forces in Yemen, as a result of his ongoing employment as a security advisor to the government.[11]

Personal

Hindmarsh was educated at the Anglican Church Grammar School in Brisbane.[12] He is a graduate of the Army Command and Staff College, Queenscliff, the Joint Services Staff College and the United Kingdom Royal College of Defence Studies. He is married and has three sons. He enjoys rock climbing, bush walking and rugby union.[1][2]

Honours and awards

Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)2008[6]
Member of the Order of Australia (AM)2003[5]
Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)2009[7]
Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC)1998[4]
Australian Active Service Medal
Afghanistan Medal
Iraq Medal
Australian Service Medal
Defence Force Service Medal with 3 Rosettesfor 30–34 years of service
Australian Defence Medal
NATO Medalwith ISAF Clasp

Hindmarsh is a patron of The Grub Club, the organisation set up in memory of Sergeant Matthew Locke.[2]

References
  1. "Major General Michael (Mick) Hindmarsh, AO, CSC Training Command - Army". Department of Defence. Archived from the original on 14 March 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
  2. "Grub Club Patrons". The Grub Club. 8 October 2009. – includes bio
  3. Newsletter Archived 7 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine, September 2009, Royal United Services Institute, Western Australian Branch. Retrieved on 2009-09-17.
  4. Conspicuous Service Cross, 14 June 1999, It's an honour.gov.au, Retrieved on 2009-09-09.
  5. Member of the Order of Australia, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 27 November 2003, page 1
  6. Officer of the Order of Australia, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 28 January 2008, page 3 – retrieved 2008-09-26.
  7. "Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)" (PDF). The Queen's Birthday 2009 Honours List. Governor-General of Australia. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
  8. "The RFTG completes Exercise Sea Khanjar in UAE". Ministry of Defence. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  9. McPhedran, Ian (3 December 2009). "United Arab Emirates poaches former major-general Mike Hindmarsh as security adviser". Herald Sun. News Limited.
  10. Robert F. Worth (9 January 2020). "Mohammed bin Zayed's Dark Vision of the Middle East's Future". The New York Times.
  11. McNeill, Sophie (8 February 2016). "Retired Australian Major General Mike Hindmarsh faces questions about knowledge of civilian attacks in Yemen". ABC News.
  12. Mason, James (2011). Churchie: The Centenary Register. Brisbane, Australia: The Anglican Church Grammar School. ISBN 978-0-646-55807-3.
Military offices
Preceded by
Major General Mark Evans		 Commander Joint Task Force 633
2008–2009		 Succeeded by
Major General Mark Kelly
Preceded by
Major General Duncan Lewis		 Special Operations Commander
2004–2008		 Succeeded by
Major General Tim McOwan
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