Brigadier (Rtd), Professor Ian Langford, DSC & Bars, PhD
Gamilaraay or Kamilaroi (Kamillaroi) Man
Brigadier, Director-General Future Land Warfare
Australian Army
Australian Defence Force
East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran
Medals and Awards
Distinguished Service Cross
1st Bar to the Distinguished Service Cross
2nd Bar to the Distinguished Service Cross (Only person ever awarded a third Distinguished Service Cross in the modern era)
Australian Active Service Medal with clasps East Timor and ICAT
Afghanistan Medal
Australian Service Medal with clasps CT/SR, S Pacific 2006, Timor-Leste, Middle East and Bougainville
Australian Operational Service Medal – Greater Middle East Operation
Defence Long Service Medal with 1st, 2nd and 3rd clasps
Australian Defence Medal
United Nations East Timor Medal UNTAET
UN Truce Supervision Organisation Medal (2 tours)
NATO Non-Article 5 Medal with Clasp ISAF (2 tours)
Meritorious Unit Citation – SOTG (Special Operations Task Group) Rotations IV – XX
Infantry Combat Badge
Chief of Defence Force Commendation
Special Operations Commander Australia Commendation
With 30 years of experience and as a senior officer in the Australian Defence Force, I have had the challenge and opportunity of leading large and small teams in complex and ambiguous environments. Throughout my career, I have held a range of appointments in the Army and Special Forces, including commanding the 2nd Commando Regiment and multiple Special Operations Task Groups in Afghanistan, Iraq, and on domestic counter-terrorism duties. I have also led at the strategic level, being responsible for the Army’s future strategic investments, future concepts and capabilities, major capital acquisitions, and critical sustainment systems as the Head of Land Capability on two separate occasions in both 2019/20 and again in 2022.
My operational service includes deployments to Timor Leste, Afghanistan, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and the South-West Pacific. For my service, I have been awarded several Australian commendations, and the Distinguished Service Cross on three occasions. In 2019, I was appointed as an Honorary Aide de Camp to the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia.
I am a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the School of Advanced Warfighting. Additionally, I am a Distinguished Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors Company Directors Course. I have completed the Senior Executive Leadership program at the Australian National University, as well as the Senior Leadership in National Security and the Senior Leadership in Government programs from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Management, a Master of Arts, a Master of Defence Studies, a Master of Strategic Studies, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Deakin University. I have been published dozens of times as an independent author, essayist, and editor.
In 2022, I retired from the Army as a Brigadier and have since formed my own advisory company, Burran Consultancy. I hold several Board positions, including a Listed Investment Company, and advise small and large firms across the private sector. I am also tenured as a full Professor at the University of New South Wales and serve as the Executive Director of the Security and Defence PLuS Alliance.