Bruce Ferguson (RNZAF officer)
New Zealand Chief of Defence Force
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Air Marshal Sir Bruce Reid Ferguson, KNZM, OBE, AFC, JP (born 14 July 1949)[1] is a retired Royal New Zealand Air Force officer who served as Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force and Director of the Government Communications Security Bureau.[2][3] He took up the appointment when the previous director, Warren Tucker, was appointed as Director of the Security Intelligence Service on 1 November 2006. Ferguson's term of appointment was for four years, stepping down from the role in 2011.[3] Following his retirement, in July 2012, he was appointed as a Justice of the Peace for New Zealand.[4]
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Sir Bruce Ferguson | |
|---|---|
Ferguson in 2002 | |
| Born | 14 July 1949 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | New Zealand |
Branch | Royal New Zealand Air Force |
Service years | 1969–2006 |
Rank | Air Marshal |
| Commands | Chief of Defence Force RNZAF Base Auckland RNZAF Operations Wing Central Flying School |
Conflicts | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Officer of the Order of the British Empire Air Force Cross Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air |
| Other work | Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management Government Communications Security Bureau |
Previous to this he was the acting director of the New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management,[3] after he retired earlier in 2006 from a distinguished military career which culminated in four years as the New Zealand Chief of Defence Force.[3][5]
Early life and family
Ferguson was born in Napier on 14 July 1949, the son of Phyllis and Arthur Ferguson, and educated at Tauranga Boys' College.[6] In 1974, he married Rosemary Rondel, and the couple went on to have three children.[6]
List of education and training qualifications
- 1970 – Graduated as RNZAF pilot[3]
- 1989 – Graduated USAF Air War College[1][3]
- 1995 – Graduated Royal College of Defence Studies[3]
- 2000 – Graduated Ashridge Senior Executive Management Course[3]
- 2001 – Senior Fellow, Asia Pacific Strategic Studies College[3]
- 2006 – Distinguished Fellow of the Institute for Strategic Leadership
List of career highlights and achievements
- 1969–73 – Pilot training/operational flying[3]
- 1973–82 – Flying instructor/Commander, Search and Rescue detachment/operational flying[3]
- 1982–84 – Commanding officer, Central Flying School[3]
- 1984–86 – Staff officer to Chief of the Air Staff[3]
- 1986–88 – Director, Air Force Personnel/USAF Air War College[3]
- 1989–91 – Officer Commanding, RNZAF Operations Wing[3]
- 1991–95 – Commander, RNZAF Base Auckland/Royal College of Defence Studies[3]
- 1995–97 – Chief of Air Force Personnel[3]
- 1997–2001 – Assistant Chief of Defence Force (Personnel)[3]
- 2001–2006 – Chief of Defence Force[3]
- 2006–2006 – Acting Director, Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM)[3]
- 2006–2011 – Director, Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB)[3]
List of honours and awards
- 1977 – Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air in the 1978 New Year Honours[7]
- 1984 – Air Force Cross in the 1984 Queen's Birthday Honours[8]
- 1990 – New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal[6]
- 1994 – Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours[9]
- 2006 – Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) (Distinguished Service Order) (Singapore)[3]
- 2006 – Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the New Zealand Defence Force, in the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours[3][10]
- 2009 – DCNZM redesignated as Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit[11][12]