Major General Susan Coyle, AM, CSC, DSM
Susan Coyle completed a Bachelor of Science degree at the Australian Defence Force Academy before graduating from the Royal Military College in 1992 into the Royal Australian Corps of Signals. She assumed her current appointment as Head Information Warfare in January 2021.
Major General Coyle has worked at the tactical, operational and strategic level in a variety of command and staff appointments. She has commanded at every rank, including Commander Joint Task Force 633 (2020), Commander 6th Brigade (June 2017 – 2019), inaugural Commander Task Group Afghanistan (2015), and Commanding Officer 17th Signal Regiment (2009–10). She has seen operational service as the J6 Communications on Operation CITADEL in East Timor (2002), Officer Commanding 104th Signal Squadron on Operation ANODE in Solomon Islands (2004), Deputy Commander – Afghanistan, transitioning into Deputy Commander JTF 636 on Operation SLIPPER before raising Task Group Afghanistan on Operation HIGHROAD (2014-2015), and Commander Joint Task Force 633 on Operation ACCORDION (2020). Key staff appointments include Chief of Staff / Director Workforce and Behaviours within the First Principles Review, Director Soldier Career Management – Army, Directing Staff / Director of Studies Land at the Australian Command and Staff College, Military Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Army and Aide-de-camp to Commander Australian Theatre.
Major General Coyle holds post-graduate qualifications in a Master of Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College, a Master in Organisational Development and Strategic Human Resource Management from the University of New England, and a Master of Management in Defence Studies from the University of Canberra. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Australian Command and Staff College, the United States Army War College as a Distinguished Graduate, the United States Combined Joint Force Land Component Commander Course, the Senior Executives in National and International Security at Harvard Business School and Australian Joint Task Force Commanders Course.
Major General Coyle has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for Commander Joint Task Force 633, a Distinguished Service Medal as the Deputy Commander JTF 636 / Commander Task Group Afghanistan on Operation SLIPPER / HIGHROAD, and a Conspicuous Service Cross as the Commanding Officer 17th Signal Regiment. She has also received a Chief of Joint Operations Command Commendation as Officer Commanding 104th Signal Squadron on Operation ANODE, and a Commander Australian Theatre Commendation as Staff Officer to the Commander Australian Theatre Joint Intelligence Centre. Whilst posted to the United States she received the U.S. Army Commendation Medal as the 11th Signal Brigade Satellite Engineer.
She is married to Mark, an Engineer in the Army, and together have three wonderful and mostly charming millennials – Jessica, 25, Susie, 25 and Jack, 21. Her hobbies include attending musical theatre, reading anything and travelling anywhere.