Ian Langford

Professor (Brigadier Retd) Ian Langford is a former senior officer of the Australian Defence Force with 30 years of leadership experience in complex operational and strategic environments. During his military career, he commanded the 2nd Commando Regiment, led multiple Special Operations Task Groups in Afghanistan and Iraq, and served twice as Head of Land Capability, overseeing the Army’s future capability development, major acquisitions, and strategic investments.

His operational service included deployments to Timor-Leste, Afghanistan, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and the South-West Pacific. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on three occasions, was appointed Honorary Aide-de-Camp to the Governor-General of Australia in 2019, has been patron of the Defence Entrepreneur’s Forum and is a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the School of Advanced Warfighting.

Ian holds a Bachelor of Management, Master of Arts, Master of Defence Studies, Master of Strategic Studies, and a PhD from Deakin University. He is also a Distinguished Graduate of Australian Institute of Company Directors and has competed the Senior Executive Leadership (ANU), Senior Leadership in National Security and the Senior Leadership in Government (Harvard) programs. Since retiring from the Army in 2023, Ian has founded Burran Consultancy, serves on several boards, is a Professor at the University of New South Wales, and is Executive Director of the Security and Defence PLUS Alliance and has been published many times as an independent author, essayist and editor.