Canberra Managers Forum with Michael Milford

Michael Milford
First Assistant Secretary, Major Capability Division, Intelligence and Capability Group
Department of Home Affairs, Australian Government 

Mike Milford was appointed to the position of First Assistant Secretary, Major Capability Division in the Department of Immigration and Border Protection in August 2015. The Major Capability Division is responsible for the design, coordination and project management for all new major capabilities.

Prior to this appointment Mike was promoted to MAJGEN and appointed as the Head of ICT Operations (HICTO) in the Chief Information Officer Group at Defence. In this role he held overall responsibility for delivery of the Single Information Environment as a global end to end information and communications capability, including the provision of satellite communications, electromagnetic spectrum and networks to support military operations.

During this period he was also the principal Strategic Adviser (Strategic J6) to the Chief of the Defence Force and the Commander Joint Operations on communications and information systems and electromagnetic spectrum.

Mike entered the Royal Military College Duntroon in January 1980. Upon graduation he served in a number of Signals Corps and general appointments both in Australia and overseas, most notably in the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) as OC 152 Signal Squadron (as the Defence Adviser to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade), as
Commanding Officer of the 1st Joint Support Unit, and as Director of Personnel – Army.

While posted to CIOG, Mike was also   the Director General Information and Communications Technology Policy and Plans from 2008 and then went on to fill the role of Chief Technology Officer responsible for strategic guidance and technical direction for the architecture, design and purchase of ICT products and services in Defence for a period of eight months before. He
retired from the Army in March 2015.

He is a Distinguished Academic Graduate of the National Defense University Washington and in 2006 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours list for his work in command and as Director of Personnel ‐ Army.