Brigadier David McCammon, DSM and Bar

Brigadier McCammon assumed his current appointment as Commander Australian Army Cadets in January 2025.

Previous senior appointments include: Commander 3rd Brigade, Director INDOPAC Operations, Joint Operations Command, Commandant Combined Arms Training Centre (CATC); Director Soldier Career Management (SCMA); senior career adviser SCMA; SO1 Combat in Future Force Development, Army Headquarters; and a secondment to the Force Structure Review Team in 2014, as part of the Department’s team that delivered the 2016 Defence White Paper.

Staff appointments include Headquarters Training Command (HQTC-A) where he served as the Staff Officer to the Chief of Staff, and Army Headquarters as Aide de Camp to the Chief of Army.

Brigade Major of the Army’s 1st Brigade taking part in HAMEL in 2011 and 2012, and briefly with Combined Task Force Uruzgan (CTU) in Afghanistan in 2012. BRIG McCammon has divisional experience, having served as SO1-Future Operations Plans as part of the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (Regional Command South) in Afghanistan for 11 months in 2012-2013.

His regimental experience includes commanding both a Rifle and Recon Platoon in 5/7 RAR (Mechanised) deploying with the Battalion to INTERFET, East Timor in 1999. Service with the British Army, (The Staffordshire Regiment—an armoured infantry battalion), including a deployment to Kosovo as the OC of the Brigade Surveillance Platoon in 2001. Service at the Combat Training Centre where he served in both the Operations Cell and as an Observer Trainer. Command of a Rifle Company in 7 RAR in 2008 deploying to Afghanistan as the commander of Australia’s first Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (OMLT) from September 2008 to July 2009, and as the Operations Officer of 7 RAR. In 2015-2016 BRIG McCammon was fortunate enough to be selected to command 7 RAR which included deploying elements of the Battalion to Iraq as part of Task Group Taji. Command of JTF 1118 as part of Operation Beech, the DFAT lead response to the Middle East conflict 2023-2024.

He completed Australian Command and Staff College in 2010, and holds a Bachelor’s Degree, a Master of Arts in International Relations, a Graduate Diploma of Strategy in Defence Studies and is a graduate of the Centre for Defence research Apollo course on Future War Analysis. In the last quarter of 2013, BRIG McCammon took an extended period of leave and worked as a National Security Fellow at the McCain Institute in Washington DC, where he focused on international foreign policy.

His awards include: a Distinguished Service Medal and Bar for service in Afghanistan and Iraq; a Commander Australian Theatre Commendation for Leadership in East Timor; a Secretary/CDF
Commendation for the Force Structure Review; a US Army Bronze Star for service in RC(S); and a US Army Commendation Medal for services to Police Mentoring in the Chora Valley.

He is married to Annaliese a physiotherapist who teaches at James Cook University and contracts to a variety of companies. They have four children, Edward (16), Henry (14), Lucinda (12) and Charlotte (10).