Neil James

Neil James is a graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon. He served for over 31 years in the Australian Army.

His experiences spanned a wide range of regimental, intelligence, liaison, teaching, operational planning and operations research positions throughout Australia and overseas, including Malaysia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Kashmir, Pakistan, India, Canada, Iraq, the United States and New Zealand.

Neil is the author of four ADF and Army operational manuals, has written numerous articles for professional and specialist journals, has contributed chapters to several books on defence matters and has authored several entries in the Australian Dictionary of Biography.

He has served with the senior teaching staff at the Army's tertiary-level Command and Staff College, and at the Australian and Canadian defence intelligence schools.

Neil has also taught on specialist courses with various Australian and allied intelligence and security agencies. After serving for nearly four years (1997-2000) as foundation director of the Army's 'think-tank', the Land Warfare Studies Centre at Duntroon, his final posting was as head (J5) of the operational plans branch at Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand near Wellington.

In 2000 the then Australian Defence Studies Centre at UNSW published his comprehensive and critical study paper on reforming the strategic management of Australia's defence. The paper earnt him both his trans-Tasman exile in 2001-02 and his current position as Executive Director of the Association (since April 2003).

Author's website: Australian Defence Association