Captain Scott Palmer
Captain Scott Palmer joined the Royal Australian Navy on 25 January 1993 and graduated from the Australian Defence Force Academy in December 1995.
“Winged” in April 1997, throughout his subsequent flying career he has deployed operationally in HMAS Tobruk for Operation STABILISE in East Timor (SK50), to Sydney for Operation GOLD (SK50), in HMAS Manoora for Operation RELEX in the northern approaches (SK50), in Tobruk again for Operation TREK in the Solomon Islands (SK50), to Townsville for Operation LARRY ASSIST (S-70B-2) in Tobruk for a third time for Operation PERINGATAN on Nias Island (S-70B-2), and in HMAS Warramunga for Operation CATALYST in the North Arabian Gulf (S-70B-2).
Captain Palmer was the Australian exchange officer at Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (Light) Forty-One with the United States Navy in San Diego, California between February 2002 and November 2004. Here he undertook Instructor Pilot training and taught American pilots to fly the SH-60B Seahawk helicopter.
Captain Palmer returned to 817 Squadron and the Sea King as the Squadron’s Executive Officer from December 2008 to December 2011. One of the highlights of his flying career was the Squadron’s involvement in the 2011 Queensland Flood crisis, which included the crew of SHARK 21 conducting the winch rescue of a man clinging to a tree in the swollen Laidley Creek. For this rescue, the crew were awarded a Group Bravery Citation. He was awarded a CJOPS Silver Commendation for his role as the Aircraft Captain. At the end of 2011, he was part of the small group of dedicated professionals that decommissioned 817 Squadron and retired the Sea King from Australian service.
After a number of postings to non-flying roles, Captain Palmer returned to active military flying in May 2017, commencing his MRH90 conversion course at the School of Army Aviation in Oakey prior to Commanding 808 Squadron from December 2017 to December 2019.
His non-flying roles include: Staff Officer – Aviation at the Directorate of Navy Officers Postings (2007-08), Staff Officer Seaworthiness and Integrated Risk Management in the Rizzo Reform Program (2012), as a student on Australian Command and Staff Course (2013), as Deputy Director Safety Assurance at the Airworthiness Coordination and Policy Agency (2014-16) and as a Deputy Director in Career Management – Navy (2020-21).
He was promoted to the rank of Captain and posted as the Royal Australian Navy Liaison Officer to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in January 2022 and was selected by the Chief of Navy to take Command of HMAS Albatross, the Naval Air Station from December 2022.
