Warrant Officer Stephen Ward

Regimental Sergeant Major - Army Australia

Warrant Officer Stephen Ward was born in Bundaberg, QLD on 11 May 1956. He enlisted in the Australian Regular Army on 23 January 1979. From 1 RTB he was allocated to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps and completed his Infantry Basic Training at the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, in Townsville.

Six years in 1 RAR saw him complete a number of Regimental appointments through to Platoon Sergeant. After 9 months as a Pl Sgt in D Coy, Warrant Officer Ward was posted to Depot Coy, Infantry Centre, in Singleton where he spent 2 and a half years as a Pl Sgt/Comd of the IET platoons.

This posting was followed by 2 years as a Pl Sgt/Comd in 8/9 RAR, where he completed both his subjects for Warrant Officer. In 1989 Warrant Officer Ward was promoted to Warrant Officer Class Two and posted to the United States Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia where he was the Team Sergeant Major of Tactics Team Four. Whilst at the US Army Infantry School he was awarded the Instructor of the Year for 1991.

In 1992 Warrant Officer Ward was posted back to 8/9 RAR as a Company Sergeant Major. In 1994 he was posted to 12/40 RTR, Hobart, as the operations/training Warrant Officer for the battalion and Support Company. During his time at 8/9 RAR he undertook the Non-resident Graduate Course at the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy. He graduated in 1994. He successfully completed the 1/94 Regimental Sergeant Major Course.

In January 1996 Warrant Officer Ward was promoted Warrant Officer Class One and posted as the Regimental Sergeant Major of the 8th/7th Battalion, The Royal Victoria Regiment at Ranger Barracks in Ballarat. For his work as the RSM of the 8th/7^th Battalion and for his development of training at the 12th/40th Battalion, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 1998 Queens Birthday Day honours list. After two years as RSM 8/7 RVR, he attended the Army School of Languages and studied Indonesian language and culture. Upon graduation from the school in Dec 1998 he was posted, to what has probably been the highlight of his career, as the Regimental Sergeant Major of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment. During this period, he participated in the Battalion's preparation for operations in East Timor. He then deployed with the Battalion in October 2000.

In January 2001, Warrant Officer Ward was posted to the Soldier Career Management Agency as the Career Manager for regimental Sergeant and Staff-Sergeant - Infantry.

In December 2002 Warrant Officer Ward was posted as the Regimental Sergeant Major of the 3rd Brigade. After completing two years as RSM 3 Bde he was posted as RSM 1 Div/DJFHQ. Subsequently in January 2007 he was appointed as the RSM of Land Command. He took up his appointment as RSM-A from 14 December 2007.

He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree, with distinction, from the University of Southern Queensland. He continues to study the Indonesian language.

Warrant Officer Ward is married to Rhonda and has one child and two grand-children.

Warrant Officer Ward has many interests including travel, woodworking and running.