General Sir Phillip Bennet is a good example of what makes a great leader. As a young officer, he survived the perilous first year of the Korean War and the rigours of the battalion command in South Vietnam, to rise through a series of senior command posts to the top as Chief of the Australian Defence Force. He was the last knight to command the Australian Defence Force. Bennett's story is a story of the contest for 'policy dominance' between the civil servants and the military leadership illustrating what was involved in forging the foundations of the Australian Defence Force we have today.
