Vice Admiral David John Shackleton AO (born 2 March 1948, Leeds UK) was a Vice Admiral of the Royal Australian Navy, and was Chief of Navy from 1999-2002.

Career

David Shackleton joined the Navy from Adelaide, South Australia in 1966 under Supplementary List (Executive) Scheme. He was given command of the HMAS Derwent in 1988, and was the Maritime commander for the opposing forces during Exercise Kangaroo, 1989, and reached the rank of Captain in 1989. He commanded HMAS Brisbane from 1991-1992, and was promoted to Commodore in 1993.

He is a graduate of the RAN Staff College and the Joint Services Staff College, and has earned an MBA (Executive) from Monash University. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1998, and then Vice Admiral and Chief of the Navy in 1999. He initiated wide ranging changes across the Navy.

He was a senior Navy witness to the Senate Enquiry into the Children overboard affair. He was appointed as an Officer in the Order of Australia in 2000, and Commander in the U.S Legion of Merit in 2001. He retired from the navy in 2002.

Theatres of operation

• Vietnam
• East Timor independence from Indonesia
• Persian Gulf operations

References