Rear Admiral Brett Stephen Wolski
Brett Wolski joined the RAN in 1986 as a Supplementary List Officer. He was awarded his Bridge Watchkeeping Certificate in the guided missile destroyer HMAS Brisbane in 1989 and a 12-month posting in the destroyer escort HMAS Stuart, as an Officer of the Watch, immediately followed. Sub Lieutenant Wolski completed the Air Defence Controller Course at RAAF Base Williamtown in January 1991 after which he joined the guided missile destroyer HMAS Perth for 18 months as the Air Intercept Controller and as an Officer of the Watch. He was then posted to RAAF Base Williamtown as an Air Defence Controller Instructor and was subsequently promoted to Lieutenant in 1993.
He completed the Principal Warfare Officer (PWO) course, at HMAS Watson, in December 1995, and over the next five years was posted as a Warfare Officer on board HMA Ships Canberra and Brisbane, and as an instructor at the PWO faculty, HMAS Watson. He was promoted Lieutenant Commander in January 2000. In August 2000 he joined the Deployable Joint Force Headquarters in Brisbane as the RAN Liaison Officer, giving him a close view of the joint capabilities of the Australian Defence Force.
He was deployed overseas in January 2002 as the RAN Liaison Officer on the staff of the US Navy Commander 5th Fleet based in Bahrain. He then attended the Executive Officer Course before joining the amphibious transport HMAS Manoora as Executive Officer in July 2002. Manoora conducted First of Class Flight Trials, several amphibious exercises and deployment to Operations FALCONER (Middle East Area of Operations) and ANODE (Solomon Islands) during his tenure.
Promoted Commander in January 2004, Brett Wolski undertook workforce planning duties as Deputy Director Navy Establishments (2004-2005) and Director Navy Workforce Planning (2005-2006) at Navy Headquarters, Canberra. He took command of the landing ship heavy HMAS Tobruk in January 2007. Tobruk took part in Operations CATALYST/SLIPPER (Middle East Area of Operations) and RESOLUTE (Border Protection), and Exercises TALISMAN SABRE 07 and RIMPAC 08 during his time in command.
Promoted to Captain in November 2008, he was appointed Director of Workforce Modelling, Forecasting and Analysis, located in Canberra. He subsequently served as Commanding Officer HMAS Stirling, in Western Australia, from December 2010-December 2012. In January 2013 he was promoted to Commodore and appointed as the Director General Workforce Planning in Navy Headquarters in Canberra.
In December 2015 he was promoted to Rear Admiral and appointed as Head of People Capability. Rear Admiral Wolski was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2016 Australia Day Honours List “for his exceptional service as Director General Workforce Planning and Director Workforce Modelling, Forecasting and Analysis.” Rear Admiral Wolski ceased full time service in the RAN in February 2019, transferred to the RAN Reserve and was appointed as Head Reserve and Youth Division and Commander Australian Defence Force Cadets. In early 2021 Rear Admiral Wolski was appointed as the Head of the Afghanistan Inquiry Response Task Force.
