LIEUTENANT COLONEL TRAVIS GORDON CSM
24 NOVEMBER 2017~ 4 OCTOBER 2019

Lieutenant Colonel Gordon joined the Australian Army in 1997. He graduated from the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1999, the Royal Military College – Duntroon in 2000 and was commissioned into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. Lieutenant Colonel Gordon has served with the 6th Battalion as a Platoon Commander, and the 3rd Battalion as a Company Second-in-Command, Adjutant and Company Commander.

As a staff officer, Lieutenant Colonel Gordon has held appointments as a Ground Liaison Officer within the 1st Ground Liaison Group, the Plans Branches at Headquarters Joint Operations Command and Headquarters 1st Division / Deployable Joint Force Headquarters, and at Army Headquarters as a Career Advisor within the Directorate of Officer Career Management – Army.

In the training environment, Lieutenant Colonel Gordon served as a Platoon Commander at the School of Infantry, a Package Master at the Royal Military College – Duntroon, and as the Senior Instructor for the All Corps Majors Course at the Officer Training Wing.

Lieutenant Colonel Gordon has served three times on operations. Lieutenant Colonel Gordon first deployed to Baghdad in 2005-06 on Operation CATALYST as a Watchkeeper within Headquarters Joint Task Force 633. Lieutenant Colonel Gordon’s second deployment was in 2012 on Operation SLIPPER in Afghanistan as a Mentoring Team Commander with the 3rd Battalion Task Group. In 2017, Lieutenant Colonel Gordon commanded Joint Task Group 658 on Operation HANNAH in support of the Papua New Guinea 2017 National Elections.

Lieutenant Colonel Gordon is a graduate from the Australian Command and Staff College. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree (Management and Politics double major) and a Master of Management Studies in Human Resource Management from the University of New South Wales. Lieutenant Colonel Gordon also has Master of Military and Defence Studies from the Australian National University. Lieutenant Colonel Gordon received a Training Commander Silver Commendation whilst a Package Master at Duntroon and the Chief of Defence Force prize for outstanding leadership at Staff College.

Lieutenant Colonel Gordon is married to Belinda and they have two children, Griffin and Gracyn. Lieutenant Colonel Gordon’s spare time is spent largely devoted to his young family, with reading, surfing and supporting the Wallabies occurring when permitted by his children.

2018 Queen's Birthday Honours List saw the award of the Conspicuous Service Medal (CSM) To LTCOL Gordon: For meritorious devotion to duty as the Commander of Joint Task Group 658 in support of the national elections of Papua New Guinea during the conduct of Operation HANNAH.