Bruce Kafer

Bruce Kafer
Born1959 (age 66–67)
Newcastle, New South Wales
AllegianceAustralia
Branch
Royal Australian Naval Reserve
Service years
1977–present
Rank
Rear Admiral
CommandsHead Cadet, Reserve & Employer Support Division
Director-General of the Australian Navy Cadets & Reserves
Australian Defence Force Academy
Combined Task Force 152/158
Hydrographic Service
HMAS Leeuwin
HMAS Flinders
Conflicts
Iran–Iraq War
Iraq War
AwardsMember of the Order of Australia
Conspicuous Service Cross

Rear Admiral Bruce Kafer, AM, CSC (born 1959) is a senior Royal Australian Navy officer and former Commandant of the Australian Defence Force Academy, a position he held from December 2009 until December 2013. Kafer served as the Director-General of the Australian Navy Cadets and Reserves from December 2014 to December 2016, when he was appointed Head of the Cadet, Reserve and Employer Support Division.

Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, Kafer was admitted to the Royal Australian Naval College, Jervis Bay as a cadet midshipman in 1977. He subsequently trained on USS Chicago, HMAS Supply, HMAS Moresby and HMAS Swan before specialising as a Hydrographic Surveyor in 1982. As such, he served primarily aboard the survey ships Flinders and Moresby.

In 1986, he began an exchange with the Royal Navy, including senior Hydrographic Officer posts aboard HMS Fawn and HMS Herald, which included time spent in the Persian Gulf as part as British anti-mine efforts in the Iran–Iraq War.[1]

Returning to Australia in 1992, he took up command of HMAS Flinders, and in 1994 was appointed as a Director of the RAN Staff College. After another period as a Hydrographic Officer, in 1997 he took command of HMAS Leeuwin upon its commission into the RAN. Late in 2000, he returned to the Australian Hydrographic Office to begin a four-year appointment as Commander of the RAN Hydrographic, Meteorological and Oceanographic Force Element Group.[1]

He later served as Chief of the Combat Support Group at RAN Headquarters and then returned to Iraq to begin an appointment as Commander Task Forces 152 and 158, coalition maritime task forces which were responsible for security and interception operations in the Gulf.[2]

In December 2009 Kafer assumed duties as Commandant of the Australian Defence Force Academy.[2] In 2011 the ADFA Skype sex-scandal occurred at ADFA, where Officer Cadets Daniel McDonald and secretly recorded video of McDonald having sex with a female cadet in the same cohort, and streamed via skype to five other cadets including Dylan Deblaquiere in another room.[3] Following this, Commodore Kafer was stood down as Commandant, publicly criticised for his handling of the incident by the then Minister for Defence Stephen Smith (Australian politician).[4] Rear admiral James Goldrick became acting Commandant. On 28 August 2013 McDonald and Deblaquiere were found guilty of "using a carriage service in an offensive manner", and McDonald was further found guilty of "committing an act of indecency". A review into the incident and the actions of Kafer was ordered, which cleared him of any wrongdoing; and despite reinstating him in March 2012, Smith continued to criticise Kafer's handling of the incident.[5][6] Kafer stayed on as Commandant until December 2013, when he was replaced by Air Commodore Alan Clements.

He has since served as Director-General of the Australian Navy Cadets & Reserves.

Kafer was promoted to rear admiral in December 2016 and appointed as Head of the Cadet, Reserve and Employer Support Division.

Personal life

Kafer and his wife, Geraldine, have two adult sons.

References

  1. ^ a b "Operation CATALYST: Commodore Bruce Kafer, AM, CSC, RAN". Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Commandant ADFA". Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  3. ^ Knaus, Christopher (25 October 2013). "Brothers in harm". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  4. ^ johnboy. "Commodore Bruce Kafer stood down at ADFA". Riotact. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  5. ^ Ellery, David (7 March 2012). "Smith defiant as ADFA boss cleared". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Commandant Commodore cleared over Skype scandal". news.com.au. 7 March 2012.

Content Disclaimer

Informasi ini disarikan dari Wikipedia dan disajikan kembali untuk tujuan edukasi. Konten tersedia di bawah lisensi CC BY-SA 3.0. Kami tidak bertanggung jawab atas ketidakakuratan data yang bersumber dari kontribusi publik tersebut.

  1. The information displayed on this website is sourced in part or in whole from Wikipedia and has been adapted for the purpose of restating it. We strive to provide accurate and relevant information, however:
  2. There is no guarantee of absolute accuracy. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative project that can be edited by anyone, so information is subject to change.
  3. It is not intended to constitute professional advice. The content displayed is for informational and educational purposes only. For important decisions (e.g., medical, legal, or financial), please consult a professional.
  4. Content copyright. Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This means that content may be reused with appropriate attribution and shared under a similar license.
  5. Responsible use. Any risk arising from the use of information from this website is entirely the responsibility of the user.