WO1. B. FOSTER OAM CSM
16 JANUARY 2023 ~ CURRENT

Warrant Officer Class One Brad Foster was born on 10 March 1976 in Mackay, Queensland. He enlisted into the Australian Army on 21 September 1999 as a rifleman within The Royal Australian Infantry Corps. Postings in the junior ranks have included the 42nd Battalion, The Royal Queensland Regiment, The 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment and the School of Infantry as well as deploying on Operation CITADEL to East Timor in 2003.

In 2008, Warrant Officer Foster was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and returned to the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment in 2009 where he deployed to Afghanistan on Operation SLIPPER as part of the Mentoring and Reconstruction Taskforce Two, as the Team Sergeant Major for the Reconnaissance Mentoring Team.

During Operation YASI ASSIST in 2011, Warrant Officer Foster acted as the Company Sergeant Major for Charlie Company, the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment and throughout 2011 he acted as the Second in Command of Support Company. In 2012, Warrant Officer Foster was awarded the Conspicuous Service Medal. Designing and executing training including complex live fire ranges and the aforementioned service of performing duties above his worn rank featured in the annotation for the medal.

Warrant Officer Foster was posted to Royal Military College - Duntroon, in 2012 and was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer Class Two. He was appointed as the Company Sergeant Major for Third Class in 2013.

In 2015, Warrant Officer Foster was posted to the 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment followed by a posting to New Zealand where he served as the Field Wing Sergeant Major, at the Officer Cadet School of New Zealand. In December 2019, he was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer Class One and was appointed as the Regimental Sergeant Major of the 11th/28th Battalion, The Royal Western Australia Regiment.

The Australia Day 2022 Honours List included Warrant Officer Foster for the award of the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) (Military Division), for meritorious service in Instructor and Company Sergeant Major appointments at the Royal Military College Duntroon; the Officer Cadet School of New Zealand; and the 6th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment.

Warrant Officer Foster is currently appointed as the Regimental Sergeant Major of The 5th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment.

Warrant Officer Foster is married to Annette and has two children, Lawson and Brodie (thirteen and ten respectively). He leads a very active lifestyle with his family which sees him maximise every opportunity to conduct outdoors activities such as cycling, skiing, rock climbing and kayaking.