Brigadier Wayne Thomas Bowen SC, AM
Deputy Commander Australian forces in Afghanistan

Brigadier Wayne Thomas Bowen was born in Roma, QLD in 1956. He joined the Army on completion of his secondary education and was commissioned as an Infantry officer from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in December 1979.

Brigadier Bowen has served in a variety of regimental and command appointments with 2/4 RAR, 1st Bn Welsh Guards with the British Army on the Rhine in West Germany, and 5/7 RAR. He has served in Rifle Company Butterworth, Malaysia as both a Platoon and Company Commander. He served as an instructor on Military Training Wing at RMC, Duntroon and as an exchange instructor at the OCS at Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. Brigadier Bowen has served in a variety of staff appointments which include those with HQ 3 Bde and as Brigade Major of HQ 1 Bde. He was MA to the DCGS in AHQ in 1994 and SO1 in Force Development (Land) in HQ ADF in 1995-1996. He served as Director Concepts and Capability Development-Army in Future Land Warfare Branch, AHQ in 2001, and was the Australian National Director of the ABCA Armies Interoperability Program in 2003-2005. Brigadier Bowen’s command experience includes CO 5/7 RAR, in 1997-1998 and command of the Land Warfare Centre, Canungra in 1999-2000. He was the Commander of the multi-national UNMISET Peacekeeping Force responsible for Sector West in East Timor, from September 2002 until June 2003. Brigadier Bowen was appointed as Commander LWDC and Senior Army Representative in Puckapunyal on 25 August 2003 and in July 2005 he was appointed as Commandant Australian Command and Staff College. On 18 September 2006 he assumed an appointment as Assistant Deputy Chief of Army, AHQ responsible for the implementation of the Enhanced Land Force initiative to further increase the size of the Australian Defence Force. On 14 May 2008 he deployed on Op SLIPPER to assume his current appointment as the Deputy Commander JTF633 in Afghanistan.

Brigadier Bowen graduated from the Australian Army Command and Staff College, Queenscliff in 1991 and attended the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies at the Australian Defence College in 2002. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Military Studies from the University of NSW, Graduate Diploma of Defence Studies from Deakin University in 1992, Graduate Diploma in Management Studies, Diploma in Personnel and Resource Management in 1995, and a Graduate Certificate in Strategic Studies from the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies in September 2002.

In 1982 Brigadier Bowen was awarded the Star of Courage (SC) for effecting the rescue of fellow passengers and crew from the burning shell of a crashed helicopter. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 1999 Australia Day Honours List for exceptional service in the field of land force development and as CO of 5/7 RAR. In 2003 he received a Force Commander’s Commendation for outstanding service as Commander Sector West.

Brigadier Bowen and his wife Maryann have two children, a daughter Nicole (b.1985) and a son Harry (b.1990). His interests include family, running, rugby, bushwalking and reading.