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
Born	1956 Kilcoy, Queensland, Australia
Allegiance	Australia United Arab Emirates
Service/branch	Australian Army United Arab Emirates Presidential Guard
Years of service	1976–2009 2010–present
Rank	Major General
Commands held	UAE Presidential Guard Training Command - Army Joint Task Force 633 Special Operations Command Special Air Service Regiment
Battles/wars	Operation Pollard Iraq War Operation Bastille Operation Falconer War in Afghanistan Operation Slipper
Awards	Officer 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 Rosettes	for 30–34 years of service
	Australian Defence Medal
	NATO Medal	with 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.

External links

• Photos: 2004 (hires&smiling), 2009, beret, Op Slipper handover, Farewell to General Petreaus, Op Catalyst
• "Always being ahead of the enemy", Australian Defence Magazine Feature, November 2004

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