Michael Noonan AO RAN retired from the Royal Australian Navy in 2022 as Vice Admiral and Chief of Navy. His tenure was characterised by a focus on, and genuine respect and care for, the people he led, and he determinedly worked to expand the Navy and secured the government’s commitment to grow to 21,000 by 2035. He now supports industry and academia on a broad range of defence and maritime issues, and sits on a number of related boards.