Rear Admiral Jaimie Hatcher
Rear Admiral Jaimie Hatcher joined the RAN in January 1986, graduating from the Australian Defence Force Academy with a Bachelor’s degree in Science in 1988. He was promoted to Rear Admiral on 11 December 2017.
Rear Admiral Hatcher is an Air Warfare specialised warfare officer and has been deployed on operational service on five occasions. In 2006-07, he commanded HMAS Toowoomba, an Anzac Class frigate, which served on rotation in the Middle East Area of Operations as part of coalition operations protecting maritime approaches to Iraq and offshore oil facilities.
He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the Military Division in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2008 in recognition of the success of this deployment. Other command appointments have included HMAS Creswell and the Royal Australian Naval College in 2010-11, in 2015-16 Commander Combined Task Force 150 in the Middle East where he was responsible for maritime counter terrorism operations as part of the Combined Maritime Force, and in 2018 as Commander Joint Task Force 633, where he was the Australian National Commander for deployed ADF task groups deployed to the Middle East region.
Rear Admiral Hatcher has served ashore in various postings related to Naval Strategy, Futures, Capability Planning, Defence Experimentation and Military Strategic Commitments. Of note he was seconded to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in 2004, assigned to the National Security Division. He has also served in material acquisition roles, specifically in the Defence Material Organisation and Capability Development Group as the capability Director for the Navy’s Destroyer program. From 2012-2014, he worked in the Defence Support and Reform Group as Director General Base Planning, Engagement and Service Performance and as Acting Head of the Defence Support Operations Division. During 2016-2017 he served as the Director General Military Strategic Commitments, Australian Defence Force Headquarters in Canberra.
Upon return from the Middle East, in early 2019, he was appointed as the Head of Military Strategic Commitments in the Australian Defence Force Headquarters. Rear Admiral Hatcher became the Deputy Chief of Joint Operations Command in late September 2019.
Rear Admiral Hatcher is a 2003 graduate of the Australian Command and Staff College with a Masters of Management in Defence Studies and the Royal College of Defence Studies, UK, in 2012. He has completed a Masters of Maritime Studies in 2014 and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Rear Admiral Hatcher was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) in the 2020 Australia Day Honours List “For distinguished command and leadership in warlike operations as the Commander Joint Task Force 633 on Operations OKRA and HIGHROAD from January 2018 to January 2019. Rear Admiral Hatcher demonstrated outstanding commitment and dedication by leading Australia’s contribution to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and more broadly throughout the Middle East Region. His exceptional operational oversight, critical leadership engagement and assiduous efforts ensured the effectiveness of Australia’s military contribution and greatly enhanced the international reputation of the Australian Defence Force in the Middle East Region”.
Rear Admiral Hatcher handed over command as Deputy Chief Joint Operations on 12 August 2021 and retired from the Navy later that year.
Rear Admiral Hatcher was appointed as an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2022 Australia Day Honours List “For distinguished service to the Australian Defence Force in senior command positions”.
Rear Admiral Jamie Hatcher takes over as Deputy Chief of Joint Operations from Major General Roger Noble on 27 September 2019.
