Mark Hammond

Vice Admiral Mark David Hammond, is a senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), serving as the Chief of Navy since July 2022. He joined the RAN as an electronics technician in 1986 and, after being accepted for officer training, graduated from the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1990. Much of Hammond's career has been spent in the Submarine Service. He has served on operations in the Indo-Pacific, commanded the Collins-class submarine , was Deputy Chief of Navy from 2018 to 2020, and served as Commander Australian Fleet from November 2020 to June 2022. He succeeded Vice Admiral Michael Noonan as Chief of Navy on 6 July 2022. Naval career Hammond joined the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in 1986 as a junior sailor electronics technician and attended recruit school at . He was later accepted for officer training and, commissioned a midshipman, entered the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1988. Graduating from the academy with a Bachelor of Science in 1990, he was promoted sub-lieutenant and completed seamanship and navigation training before volunteering for the RAN Submarine Service. He qualified on submarines in 1994 and was appointed navigating officer in in 1996. He then became flag lieutenant to the Chief of Navy and, in 1998, completed the Principal Warfare Officer's Course and Submarine Warfare Course. He was appointed to the commissioning crew of as operations officer in 1999, returned to the Submarine Warfare Course as an instructor in 2001, and was made executive officer in . In 2003, after completing the Dutch Submarine Command Course and the Prospective Commanding Officer Course with the United States Navy, Hammond was posted to RAN Headquarters as Staff Officer Future Concepts. He attended the Australian Command and Staff College the following year, graduating with a Master of Management in Defence Studies from the affiliated University of Canberra. He also gained a Master of Maritime Studies from the University of Wollongong in 2005, served on an operational exchange posting with the Royal Navy Submarine Service and, following his return to Australia, was appointed commanding officer of . In Farncomb, Hammond undertook "two years of demanding operations in the Indo Pacific region". Following his period of command, Hammond was posted as Assistant Naval Attaché in Washington, D.C.