“Army Service Is A Human Endeavor”: Building Mutual Trust And Respect

Brigadier Shane L. Gabriel graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1987 and embarked on a career in the Australian military. He commissioned into the Air Force Ground Defense and, in 1990, he accepted a short service commission with the Royal Air Force Regiment in the United Kingdom. Returning to Australia in 1996, he transferred to the Infantry, and served with the 5th / 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. In 2007, he was assigned as the Commanding Officer, 7th Battalion, and was responsible for de-linking the 7th Battalion from the 5th as the Australian Army went through a period of expansion in support of increased operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In October, 2008, he deployed his battalion to Afghanistan on a Mentor and Reconstruction mission, working with the Afghan Army. Following several staff assignments, in which he was responsible for developing the Australian Combined Arms capability and modernizing the Army, he was assigned as the Military Attaché to the United States. In this interview, he talks about his decision to join the military, and provides an overview of the Australian academy system. He discusses his assignment in the UK, and some of his early operational deployments in Northern Ireland, the former Yugoslavia, and East Timor. He recounts his time as a Battalion Commander, highlighting building up the 7th Battalion and deploying it to Afghanistan. He explains some of his staff assignments, focusing on taking care of Soldiers. Finally, he describes his current role as Military Attaché to the United States, and in which he enjoys interacting with Australian Soldiers stationed at bases across America and rekindling relationships with his classmates from the United States Army War College.