Speakers

Brigadier Damian Hill enlisted in the Army via a scholarship to the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1993, graduating from the Royal Military College in 1996 to the Royal Australian Artillery (RAA). He has fulfilled the full suite of Regimental positions including Section Commander, Gun Position Officer, Signals Officer, Forward Observer, Battery Captain, Battery Commander and Commanding Officer.

Aside from his Regimental postings, Brigadier Hill has served within the Deployable Joint Force Headquarters (DJFHQ) and within Army Headquarters. Brigadier Hill attended Australian Command and Staff College in 2008. In 2009, Brigadier Hill was posted to the United States Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) in Quantico, as the Plans Officer. For his service with MCWL, Brigadier Hill was awarded the United States Meritorious Service Medal.

In 2016, Brigadier Hill assumed command of the Combat Training Centre (CTC), responsible for the conduct of advanced collective combat training to high readiness land forces. In 2017 Brigadier Hill was temporarily assigned Commander of the 3rd Brigade which included command of Joint Task Force (JTF) 661 Operation Queensland Assist established in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Debbie.

During the period 2018 until 2021 Brigadier Hill worked within ADF Headquarters (ADFHQ), including roles as Chief of Staff to the Vice Chief of Defence Force and Director Force Development and Validation in Force Integration Division. Upon promotion Brigadier Hill assumed the role as Director General Capability Interoperability, Test and Evaluation (CIT&E), responsible for the provision of interoperability direction and doctrine to the ADF. In 2022 Brigadier Hill assumed the role of Director General Joint Collective Training Branch (J7) at Headquarters Joint Operations Command (HQJOC). In this role he is tasked with exercising the Joint Force for warfighting.

Brigadier Hill has three deployments to Timor Leste; INTERFET in 1999, AUSBATT 6 in 2002 and with Joint Task Force (JTF) 631 in 2006. Brigadier Hill was awarded a Chief of Defence Force Commendation for his work with JTF 631 and was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in June 2018.
Brigadier Hill has been awarded a Bachelor of Arts, Graduate Diploma of Defence Studies and a Graduate Diploma of Management in Defence Studies from the University of New South Wales and a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies from Deakin University. He is a graduate of the Australian Defence and Strategic Studies Course.

Brigadier Hill is an Australian Rules umpire and a long standing member of the Army AFL committee. Brigadier Hill is married to Katrina, a career social worker and they have four children.