Rear Admiral Michael Julian van Balen AO (born 16 February 1961) is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), who served as the Deputy Chief of Navy from 2013 to January 2016.[1]
Michael Julian van Balen | |
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.JPG) van Balen with Vice Admiral William Moran of the United States Navy, November 2013 | |
| Born | 16 February 1961 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/ | Royal Australian Navy |
| Years of service | 1978–2016 |
| Rank | Rear Admiral |
| Commands held | Deputy Chief of Navy (2013–16) HMAS Watson (2005) HMAS Sydney (2002–03) |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War |
| Awards | Officer of the Order of Australia Commendation for Distinguished Service Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States) |
Early life edit
van Balen was born in Brisbane, Queensland, on 16 February 1961 to Adrian and Cath van Balen.[2]
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van Balen joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1978 and graduated from the Royal Australian Naval College in 1982.[1]
van Balen has served in a various billets within the Australian naval high command and United States Navy commands.[1]
He has served on board a variety of Royal Australian Navy ships including HMA ships Barbette, Brisbane, Stalwart, Stuart, Yarra, Bunbury, Derwent, Swan and the United States Navy ship USS Ranger, a Forrestal-class aircraft carrier.[1]
van Balen completed a Master of Management degree from the Australian Defence Force Academy in 2001.[1] He attended the US Naval War College in 2005.[3]
Honours and awards edit
This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (May 2013) |
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Officer of the Order of Australia | 26 January 2015 |
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Commendation for Distinguished Service | 26 January 2005 [4] |
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Australian Active Service Medal | |
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Iraq Medal | |
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Defence Force Service Medal with 4 clasps | (35–39 Years Service) |
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Australian Defence Medal | |
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Officer of the Legion of Merit | (United States) |
RADM van Balen has also been awarded the RAN's "Principal Warfare Officer" badge and the RAN's "Sea Readiness Badge".
References edit
- ^ a b c d e "Rear Admiral Michael van Balen". RAN Admirals. Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ^ "Rear Admiral Michael van Balen". Who's Who in Australia Online. ConnectWeb. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ "Graduation Exercise 17 June 2005" (PDF). US Naval War College. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 January 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- ^ "Award of Commendation for Distinguished Service to van BALEN, Michael Julian". It's an Honour. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 24 May 2013.