Peter Cosgrove

Who is Peter Cosgrove?

General Sir Peter John Cosgrove AK, MC is a retired senior Australian Army officer and the 26th and current Governor-General of Australia. A graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, he fought in the Vietnam War, receiving the Military Cross in 1971. From 1983 to 1984, he was commander of the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and he later served as commander of the 6th Brigade and the 1st Division. Cosgrove rose to prominence in 1999, when he served as commander of the International Force for East Timor during the peacekeeping mission in East Timor. From 2000 to 2002, he was Australia's Chief of Army, and then Chief of the Defence Force from 2002 to 2005, receiving corresponding promotions to lieutenant general and then general. Cosgrove retired from active service following the end of his term as Chief of the Defence Force, and subsequently served as leader of a taskforce helping to rebuild communities in Queensland after Cyclone Larry in 2006. In January 2014, Cosgrove was named to succeed Dame Quentin Bryce as Governor-General of Australia, and was sworn in on 28 March 2014.