Ian Langford (soldier)

Brigadier Ian Douglas Langford, DSC & Two Bars (born 15 February 1975) is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army. He is a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the School of Advanced Warfighting.^[1] Langford was the Director General Future Land Capability for the Australian Army from 2018 until 2022; and previous to that was the acting head of Land Capability.^[2] He served as commanding officer of 2nd Commando, in which role he led combat operations in Timor Leste, Afghanistan, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and the South-West Pacific; with command of Special Operations Command in Afghanistan.^[3][4] For his service, Langford was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on three occasions – the only person to date to receive that honour.^[5]

Professor Ian Langford
Born	(1975-02-15) 15 February 1975 (age 49) Liverpool, New South Wales
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Australian Army
Years of service	1992–2022
Rank	Brigadier
Commands held	Head of Land Capability (Acting) (2018–19, 2022) 2nd Commando Regiment (2014–15) Special Operations Task Group (2012–13)
Battles/wars	Operation Bel Isi United Nations Truce Supervision Organization Operation Astute War in Afghanistan Iraq War
Awards	Distinguished Service Cross & Two Bars

Early life and education

Langford was born in Liverpool, New South Wales, to a military family, moving schools frequently.^[6][7] He enlisted in the army immediately after completing high school in Victoria.^[6]

He returned to tertiary studies frequently in his military career; researching, teaching and writing. Langford graduated with a bachelor's degree to the Infantry Corps from the Royal Military College in 1995, having been awarded the Sword of Honour.^[8]

Langford went on to study management at Southern Cross University (2001) followed by a Master of Arts from Deakin University (2005) a Master of Defence Studies (2009) and a Master of Strategic Studies (2010) from the US Marine Corps War College and the School of Advanced Warfighting in Quantico, USA in 2009–10.^[9][10][11]

Langford has participated in post graduate studies at the Harvard Kennedy School.^[12][13] In 2020, he was made a Doctor of Philosophy by Deakin University.^[1]

Military career

Peacekeeping missions

After graduation from Duntroon in 1995, Langford was posted to 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment for four years, then moved to the commando element, 4 RAR.^[9] As a young Lieutenant, he was deployed to Rifle Company Butterworth and later the Solomon Islands.^[14]

On promotion to captain in 2002, Langford served as Deputy Operations Officer in the peacekeeping mission, Operation Bel Isi II in Bougainville.^[9][15] Returning to 4 RAR (Cdo) as Operations Officer, Langford organised sub-units in preparation for Operation Bastille in Iraq.^[6][16]

In 2004, Langford was appointed Aide-de-camp to Special Operations Commander Duncan Lewis, and deployed in 2005 to the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Israel, Lebanon and Syria.^[9][17]

Command in special forces

 

In command of Special Operations Task Group, Langford had oversight of the training and mentoring of Afghan National Army elements by 2nd Commando Regiment; seen here in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, March 26, 2012.

Having been promoted to the rank of Major, Langford became the officer commanding for 4 RAR (Cdo), a special forces unit, from 2006 to 2007, deploying his Commando Company Group to Timor-Leste for Operation Astute, then to the South-West Pacific evacuation in Operation Quickstep.^[18][9]

Langford served in combat operations as the CCG Commander for the Third Phase of Operation Slipper in Afghanistan, known as Rotation IV.^[9] For his "command and leadership in action as Officer Commanding Alpha Commando Company Group" Colonel Langford was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) in 2008. d ^[19]

Following studies in the United States and promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, Langford was appointed acting Commanding Officer of 2nd Commando Regiment.^[9][20]

Langford returned to Afghanistan in 2011, serving as the Plans Officer at Special Operations HQ and commanded the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan 2012–13.^[8][5][13] For his service, he was awarded a Bar to his DSC in the 2014 Australia Day Honours, as Lieutenant Colonel I.^[21] Following this period of combat leadership, Langford wrote a major paper on Australia's special forces^[3] including on the cultural problems that seemed to be emerging, arising from some operators having a sense of being beyond accountability:

“This sense of separation from the military mass encourages the emergence of SF units that are more akin to militant clans than military organisations. If unchecked, arrogance or aloofness bred from a culture of élitism develops… [This] nurtures an unassailable belief that ‘only those who have done it know, or can be trusted, or more dangerously yet, can give direction.’”^[22]

After it was reported that some members of the 2013 rotation could be the subject of alleged war crimes in the Brereton Report, Langford attempted to hand back his medal, but was prevented from doing so.^[23] The Sydney Morning Herald journalist Chris Masters, who reported extensively on the misconduct of elements of the SASR in Afghanistan, said it was a matter of misfortune that these men were in the rotation when Langford was given command, and that he is considered to be not at fault by Justice Brereton.^[24]

Langford became the Staff Officer for Strategy in the Directorate of Army Research and Analysis before being selected to command the 2nd Commando Regiment, including a further deployment to Iraq as CO SOTG-Iraq. This service was recognised with a promotion to full Colonel; and with a Second Bar to his DSC in early 2016, "for distinguished leadership in warlike operations as part of a Special Operations Force on Operation Okra from September 2014 to February 2015."^[9]

Army planning roles

 

Langford has been an advocate for robotic and autonomous systems, such as the Boston Dynamics spot robot.

Away from combat, his identity no longer suppressed, Langford began researching, teaching and presenting from 2016. In one presentation Langford stressed the crucial nature of leadership when it comes to regulating battlefield behaviour in the profession of arms:

“Situational ethics are highly contextual and drift will occur without one transformational factor, and that’s leadership. Leadership is the action … that keeps that kind of behaviour within the bounds of what is lawful, what is ethical and what is moral.”^[20]

From 2017, Langford served as director of the Chief of Army’s select internal think tank, known as Strategic Initiatives Group.^[5]

By December 2018, Langford was a Brigadier in the role of Director-General of Future Land Warfare, Army Headquarters.^[25] In this role he established an office to explore robotic and autonomous systems, to give the army a "capability edge."^[26]

In February 2019, Brigadier Ian Langford gave a lecture titled ‘Accelerated Warfare' a military concept that would accelerate "the velocity of the engagements beyond the speed at which the enemy can target, and precisely execute and comprehend the events unfolding."^[27][28]

 

Ian Langford at a Defence Industry meeting at the Kurrajong Hotel, Canberra, Remembrance Day, 2022

By 2022, Langford was described as "one of the army's most respected and decorated leaders."^[20] However, by October of that year it was reported that he had "voluntarily discharged" after falling out of favour with the Chief of Defence.^[12] There was some conjecture this was connected to an alleged lack of oversight of soldiers when had command of special forces, however, the report in The Age indicated this was unfounded, reporting that Langford had "no involvement in or knowledge of any war crimes which may have taken place."^[12][29]

The resignation was described as "a massive loss" to the Australian Defence Force, since he had been a military leader in the mould of American Admiral William H. McRaven; "super smart, strategic and widely respected."^[12] Langford had served under McRaven during his time at NATO Special Operations Component Command-Afghanistan.^[12][18]

Industry and academic roles

On leaving the Australian Defence Force, Langford began consulting on national security and military strategy, regarded as an expert in this field.^[30][31] He was made a strategic adviser to UBH Group, who provide defence services in the information domain.^[32] In public discussions, Langford has challenged the defence community on Australia's lack of military preparedness, that it lacks armoured protection, and lags behind potential adversaries in acquiring unmanned capabilities.^[2][33]

Since 2023, he has served with UNSW Canberra—being made full professor in 2024—and an Adjunct Lecturer at Charles Sturt University.^[33][34][35] Also in 2024, Langford was made the Executive Director of Security and Defence PLuS, a program of the PLuS Alliance which is a joint higher education partnership of King's College London, Arizona State University and UNSW.^[36][37] In the role, it's understood he will lead Security and Defence PLuS operations, as a complement to the AUKUS security agreement.^[38][39]

Publications

• Langford, Ian (2014), Australian special operations : principles and considerations (PDF), Russell, ACT: Directorate of Future Land Warfare, ISBN 9780992547424, retrieved 19 June 2023
• Langford, Ian (2017), "Australia's Offset and the A2/AD Strategies", Parameters, vol. 47, United States Army War College Press, doi:10.55540/0031-1723.2839, retrieved 19 June 2023

Honours and awards

For his military service, Langford has received the following honours from the United Nations, NATO, and the Commonwealth of Australia.^{[19][20][40][41][42][43]}

   
       
       

	Distinguished Service Cross and Two Bars	Awarded in 2008, 2014, and 2016 for service in Afghanistan and Iraq.
	Australian Active Service Medal	With two clasps.
	Afghanistan Medal	Operation SLIPPER.
	Australian Service Medal	With five clasps.
	Australian Operational Service Medal	Greater Middle East.
	Defence Long Service Medal	With two clasps.
	Australian Defence Medal
	United Nations Medal	With Multi Tour Indicator 2.
	United Nations Medal	with UNAMET ribbon for active service in Timor-Leste (East Timor).
	NATO Medal for the Non-Article 5 ISAF Operation in Afghanistan	With clasp ISAF and Multi-tour Indicator 2.
	Infantry Combat Badge

References

1. "Ian Langford Biography". Australian Army Research Centre. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
2. "Australia's Army: A Future Ready Land Force – Australian Defence Magazine". www.australiandefence.com.au. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
3. Elliott, C. August (14 August 2018). "The Abuse Scandal Rocking Australia's Special Operations Forces". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
4. "Why We Write". The Forge. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
5. "Soldier Modernisation | Volume 29 | Error 404". www.soldiermod.com. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
6. "Ian Langford – Service overview". August 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
7. "The Significance of Australia's Armour and Artillery Upgrades". The Royal United Services Institute of New South Wales.
8. Haggith, Rod. "Staff". terrorismstudies.csu.edu.au. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
9. Frame, Tom (2018). Ethics Under Fire: Challenges for the Australian Army. NewSouth. pp. XIV–XV. ISBN 978-1742235493.
10. Yumpu.com. "Understanding and Defeating a Complex Adaptive ... – Australian Army". yumpu.com. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
11. "CSC IMS Distinguished Alumni". www.usmcu.edu. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
12. Galloway, Anthony (2 October 2022). "'A massive loss': Senior officer who led special forces in Afghanistan felt his position was untenable". The Age. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
13. Packham, Ben (5 March 2021). "Officer Brigadier Ian Langford to keep Afghan medal". The Australian. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
14. Glenn, Russell (2020). Trust and Leadership: The Australian Army Approach to Mission Command. University of North Carolina. ISBN 9781940771694.
15. "Australian peacekeepers in Bougainville from 1994 to 2003". Department of Veteran's Affairs Anzac Portal.
16. "ADF in Afghanistan: 2001 – 2007 | Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability". nautilus.org. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
17. "Ian Langford – Middle East Deployments". Department of Veterans' Affairs Anzac Portal. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
18. Langford, Ian (2014). "Australian Special Operations: Principles and Considerations" (PDF): 21 – via Australian Army Research Centre. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
19. "MILITARY HONOURS". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 June 2008. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
20. Packham, Ben (5 March 2021). "High flyer not afraid to tell top brass what's what". The Australian. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
21. "Investiture Ceremonies". The Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia. 2 May 2014.
22. Elliott, C. August (14 August 2018). "The Abuse Scandal Rocking Australia's Special Operations Forces". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
23. Administrator (13 April 2021). "Brereton's unfinished business • Hamish McDonald". Inside Story. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
24. Masters, Chris (2 June 2023). "Reputation over rank: Where was the command over this culture?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
25. "Designing the Future: Thinking About Joint Operations". Australian Army Research Centre, Future Land Warfare Essay Collection: 77. 30 September 2020.
26. Nicholson, Dylan (1 April 2020). "Army sets up RICO office for robotic and autonomous systems". www.defenceconnect.com.au. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
27. Davies, Sara E. (March 2020). "A Role for Defence in Accelerating Regional Health Security" (PDF). The Centre of Gravity Series: 25.
28. "Accelerated Warfare – Four Imperatives for Change". Australian Army Research Centre. 20 February 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
29. Elliott, C. August. "The Abuse Scandal Rocking Australia's Special Operations Forces". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
30. "Cheap and nasty: These improvised weapons in Ukraine could change the way wars are fought". ABC News. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
31. Tongol, Robyn (8 December 2022). "SPOTLIGHT: Industry's role in building a stronger Australia, with Sarah Cullens and BRIG (Ret'd) Ian Langford". www.defenceconnect.com.au. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
32. Staff, APDR (26 April 2023). "Technology and security expert joins UBH Group". APDR. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
33. Packham, Ben (1 February 2024). "Military madness: our troops 'at risk' without killer drones, former commanders warn". The Australian.
34. "Future of War" (PDF). March 2023. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
35. Haggith, Rod. "Staff". terrorismstudies.csu.edu.au. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
36. Craw, Victoria (10 February 2016). "UNSW launches major new alliance with universities in UK, US". news.com.au.
37. London, King's College. "Security and Defence PLuS appoints new Executive Director". King's College London. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
38. "No silver bullet for our shortages of labour in Defence". The Australian. 17 January 2024.
39. "UNSW tackles global security challenges with partners in UK and USA". UNSW Sites. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
40. "Australian Honours". honours.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
41. "Australian Honours". honours.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
42. (PDF). 15 February 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
43. "Ian Langford DSC". Serving Country. Retrieved 21 April 2023.