On 5 July Vice Admiral Justin Jones assumed the position of Chief of Joint Operations replacing the retiring Lieutenant General Greg Bilton Vice Admiral Jones was previously the Deputy of Joint Operations.
Justin Jones is well credentialed for the role. He joined the RAN in 1988 and is a graduate of the Royal Australian Naval College and the Australian Command and Staff College, and holds a Masters in Management Studies, a Master of Arts (Strategy and Policy) and a Graduate Diploma in Defence Studies. He is a Principal Warfare Officer with dual specialisations in surface warfare and advanced navigation. He has served in patrol boats, guided missile destroyers, guided missile frigates, amphibious assault ships, and combat support ships. He has deployed operationally to the Middle East Region four times, been force assigned to 11 named operations, and deployed into the Indo-Pacific region on 12 occasions during his career.
Justin Jones was in command of the frigate HMAS Newcastle from 2008 to 2010. In 2009, the ship was awarded the Duke of Gloucester Cup for overall efficiency and the Spada Shield for the surface combatant foremost in operations. He then had command of the replenishment ship HMAS Success from 2014 to 2016, during which the ship deployed to the Middle East and North West Indian Ocean on Operation MANITOU. He resumed command of Success from August to November 2016 for an Indian Ocean deployment.
His joint operations experience includes postings as Operations Officer to Commander Deployable Joint Force Headquarters (Maritime) in 2003-2004, Commander Plans (N5/N7) within Maritime Component Joint Operations Command in 2006, Director General Operations (J3) Headquarters Joint Operations Command 2020-21 and as Commander of the standing multi agency task force Maritime Border Command/Commander Joint Agency Task Force Operation Sovereign Borders/Commander Joint Task Force 639 – Operation Resolute, 2022-23.
Justin Jones was the inaugural Navy Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in 2010, contributing to the Lowy Institute MacArthur Foundation’s major publication Crisis and Confidence: major powers and maritime security in Indo-Pacific Asia. He also edited two books A Maritime School of Strategic Thought for Australia: Perspectives in 2013 and the follow on Australian Maritime Strategic Thought 2013-2023 published in 2023.
He was the recipient of the 2006 Vice Admiral Viscount Horatio Nelson KB Trafalgar Bicentennial Sword of Excellence for leadership. In the 2016 Queen’s Birthday honours, he was awarded a Conspicuous Service Cross for outstanding devotion to duty as the Commanding Officer, Success while deployed on Operation MANITOU. He also wears the Meritorious Unit Citation awarded to Parramatta when he was Executive Officer and Second-in-Command, for performance in the North Arabian Gulf on Operation CATALYST in 2005-06.
Vice Admiral Jones has completed the US Capstone Course and Pinnacle Course, the Commander Joint Task Force Course, the Operations Based on Experience (OBOE) Course, the NATO Joint Synchronisation Course, and the US Senior Officer Information Operations Application Course.
He was the Deputy Chief of Joint Operations from January 2024 until assuming the role of CJOPS.
