Rear Admiral Anthony Carl Dalton

Anthony ‘Tony’ Dalton was born and educated in Victoria before joining the Navy in 1980 as a direct entry aviator, completing his pilot training in 1981.

Over the next 17 years he amassed over 5500 flying hours in Iroquois, Sea King, Gazelle and Seahawk helicopters making him one of the most experienced Australian naval aviators. He flew on four Australian Naval Air Squadrons and spent time on exchange as an instructor pilot with the Royal Navy’s 705 Squadron. He commanded 805 Squadron during 2000-01 and the Fleet Air Arm in 2008-09.

He held various staff appointments in Navy Training Command, Navy Systems Command, Fleet Headquarters and the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO). He is a graduate of the US Naval War College - Class of 2003.

Dalton was promoted Rear Admiral in 2012 to head the Defence Materiel Office Helicopter Systems Division, responsible for the acquisition, sustainment and disposal of all the ADF's rotary-wing and tactical unmanned aerial system assets.

He took over as the head of the Joint Systems Division in 2015 before retiring from the Navy in early 2016.

In 2017 he joined the Australian Public Service and was appointed as the General Manager Ships and became responsible for National Naval Shipbuilding within the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group in the Department of Defence.