Major General Andrew Hocking is a graduate of the Australian Defence Force Academy and the Royal Military College Duntroon. As an infantry officer he has served in regimental appointments in 1, 3 and 7 Brigades. This includes command of the 1st Battalion and the 7th Combat Brigade.

Major General Hocking’s operational service includes two tours of East Timor as an Adjutant/Battle Captain and as a Company Commander, and two tours of Afghanistan as a planner in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Headquarters and as a Battle Group Commander of Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force – Two. Overseas postings include as an instructor at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, as Plans Branch Chief at United States Pacific Command and as a student at the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom.

Other notable postings include a twelve month secondment to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, six months as a Visiting Military Fellow at the University of NSW where he researched and published a paper on optimizing Australia’s veteran support system, and eighteen months as the Deputy Coordinator of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency.

Major General Hocking recently led a Chief of Defence Force directed research project which included the publication of a paper titled Preparing for the Future: Key Organisational Lessons from the Afghanistan Campaign. The paper captured organisational level lessons from the Afghanistan Campaign with the aim of stimulating the ongoing reflection and debate necessary to prepare the Australian Defence Force for future challenges. Major General Hocking is currently co-leading a body of work focused on optimizing Defence recruiting and retention.

Major General Hocking has a Bachelor of Science (Maths and History), a Masters of Management (Defence Studies) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Major General Hocking is married to Caroline and they have one daughter (Jessica 8) and one son (Hugo 6). His hobbies include hang gliding, surfing, and playing the guitar.